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Glite Dictionary
DSL

DSL

14 3.6
A way to get fast internet using a regular phone line
  • noun
  • /diːˌɛsˈɛl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : línea de abonado digital
  • As Bleha correctly notes, U.S. broadband policy focuses on encouraging platform rivalry, with DSL and cable modem providers taking the lead.
  • DSL modem
  • DSL and cable
  • DSL connection

ATA or DSL and some of them are super specific.

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Examples

  • The ad was for AT&T's triple play, which in some areas is DSL and in some areas is U-verse, which is their kind of super fast DSL thing.

  • For Internet outages, your DSL or cable modem may provide details via its activity lights.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The DSL has been doing all the work.

    Minutemen (2008)

  • Watching on an iPad with DSL, is this as good as it gets with this setup?

    Blog text (23)

  • For anyone born after 1988, DSL is a technology that ushered the US onto the information superhighway.

    Blog text (8)

  • Customers used to have to install DSL splitters to block out the data frequencies on their landlines.

    Blog text (8)

  • For another, our high-speed DSL downloads are now running about 6400 Kb/sec, T3 speeds.

    Blog text (27)

  • Many homeowners prefer DSL because it offers high-speed internet access over standard telephone lines.

  • She decided to switch to DSL for her internet connection due to its fast download speeds.

  • To improve internet access in rural areas, the local company installed DSL lines in every home.

Synonyms

broadband
vsDSL
  • Texting
45 2.8

A fast internet connection for homes and businesses

is specific to telephone line technology rather than all high-speed services
digital subscriber line
vsDSL
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A fast internet connection that uses a telephone line

is the abbreviated form commonly used in everyday contexts

How Fast

fiber-optic
  • Specialized
12 4.9
cable
454 2.3
DSL
  • Specialized
14 3.6
dial-up
  • Archaic
4 3.8

Surface Forms

DSL singular
DSLs plural

Morphology

DSL = digital + subscriber + line (opaque) = D + S + L

Formed as an initialism from 'digital subscriber line'; the abbreviation does not let a typical learner infer the full technical meaning without knowing the expansion.

Etymology

DSL stands for digital, subscriber, and line, which is a simple memory hook: digital means 'electronic', subscriber means 'a customer who signs up', and line means 'a phone wire'. So DSL is a digital internet connection for a customer that runs over a normal telephone line, which is why the term refers to the common home high-speed internet service.