There was a time when DSL was the fastest way to access the web. Gone are the days of dial-up, and cable comes with its share of issues. But the way we use the world wide web is changing once more. No longer do basic web pages hold our attention anymore. Now, we’re all about movies, music, flash and other forms of multi-media. Along with our increasing demand for much more content, we want that content to be delivered faster and quicker as well. If a web page doesn’t load instantly, viewers click away. Patience is a thing of the past and it seems that the net needs to catch up with our ever-growing desire for more and more bandwidth and higher speeds.

With the demand for multi-media, music and video at an all time high, the want for a quicker connection is apparent. Currently, DSL is the fastest alternative available to most individuals. But there’s a new sort of connection that’s just beginning to emerge on the marketplace. That technology is a fiber-based connection.

What is Fiber?

A fiber-based connection works a lot the same way that normal DSL works. The key difference is that instead of running by way of copper wires like with DSL, a fiber-based connection runs through fiber wires. This might seem like a minor distinction, but with the way technology is advancing these fiber connections have the ability to carry much more data at much higher speeds than its copper ancestor.

Presently, fiber connections are utilized mostly in companies that require very high download and upload speeds. Nonetheless, fiber is beginning to make its way into the consumer marketplace. The demands for video and media are so high that there is debate as to whether or not or not DSL will be able to manage the rate at which people are transferring data. This is specifically a dilemma for the on-line gaming community who require high speed connections in order for their games to work correctly. Choppy games just don’t cut it for avid gamers and as games turn into far more complex the want for higher speeds increases. This is where fiber-based web connections are most useful for the consumer marketplace.

Fiber to Replace DSL?

With DSL presently leading the pack in terms of speed and reliability for consumers, the question becomes, will it be able to compete with the vast amount of media that is downloaded on a daily basis? The answer isn’t a easy yes or no. If media usage stays precisely the same as it is now, then yes, DSL is sufficient for most men and women.

Even so, if you compare the figures from ten years ago (or less), you’ll notice that there has been an exponential improve in demand for media and bandwidth. To take an example, look at the figures for computers. Ten years ago, a consumer personal computer could have six gigs of hard drive space and be more than sufficient. Now, six gigs will barely hold the operating system, significantly less the music and movie downloads everybody has. It’s the exact same with bandwidth and speed. What was once more than sufficient quickly becomes obsolete with advances in technology.

Where ten years ago, multi-media downloads were restricted to large corporations, it is no longer the case. Everybody has pretty much unrestricted access to a slew of multi-media. With this access comes the will need for higher speeds and much more bandwidth.

That being the case, fiber might offer a solution to the increasing demand. It would allow for quicker download/ upload times, far more bandwidth, lower latency and a whole bunch of other benefits that DSL currently can’t give.

Aside from the benefits that fiber brings, you have to look at the practical side of the matter. The benefit DSL has over fiber is that the wires are already there. In reality, they were already in location lengthy before the web was even invented. Since DSL runs via the phones, and telephones have been around for over a century, all homes are equipped with telephone lines. DSL just piggybacks on the existing technology.

Fiber wires, on the other hand, do not already run directly into everybody’s homes. In fact, really installing these wires is labor intensive, as it requires running a new fiber wire underground. This is costly and takes a lot of time. The cost of construction then has to be passed on to the consumer, making a fiber connection just too pricey for most men and women. The costs alone limit fiber connections to medium to significant businesses. As of now, it’s not practical or cost-successful to run fiber wires into private homes.

So to answer the question if fiber will replace ADSL, for time-being the answer is no. DSL is still the greatest and most cost-efficient way to connect to the internet. Maybe in the future, the demand for higher speeds and greater bandwidth will increase sufficient and the price of fiber will decrease enough to make fiber-based connections in each and every home feasible. But as it stands, it doesn’t look like fiber will replace DSL anytime soon.