This broadband option might not be as popular as it once was, but there’s still top deals to be found. Learn about it here.
ADSL broadband used to be the most popular choice for households and businesses across the UK, but now with the advent of faster connections like fibre and cable broadband, it’s not as commonly used as it once was.
Despite this, it is still the preferred broadband option for millions of consumers and, although it’s the slowest option, you can also pick up some decent cheap broadband deals with it.
So, if you are looking for a more affordable tariff, or you just want to know a bit more about ADSL broadband, we’ve explained all you need to know in this guide. What is ADSL broadband?
ADSL – which stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line – is a type of broadband that’s provided to a property via a standard copper telephone line. As we’ve mentioned above, it’s the slowest and most basic connection option available on the broadband markets.How does ADSL broadband work?
The old copper phone lines used with ADSL connections are in fact part of BT’s Openreach network – something that’s used by many broadband providers. These connections run from the nearest telephone exchange into a property.
Through something called ‘local loop unbundling’, different broadband providers (other than BT) can use the line to offer their services. The ‘local loop’ specifically refers to the part of the line that goes from the exchange into a building.
As these lines are also used for connecting landlines, a device called a ‘microfilter’ is then utilised. This separates the broadband and phone line, so both can be used at the same time.
However, the download speeds you can get from the old copper cables are limited and they can only send so much data at once – hence why they’re so slow.
