ISDN Digital Subscriber Line

What Does ISDN Digital Subscriber Line Mean?

ISDN Digital Subscriber Line (IDSL) is a technology that provides DSL over an ISDN line. IDSL transmits data at a rate of 144 kbps and was originally developed by Ascend Communications, which was acquired by the company that is now Alcatel-Lucent.

Techopedia Explains ISDN Digital Subscriber Line

IDSL is basically a cross between xDSL and ISDN. Transfer rates are slightly higher than ISDN (144 kbps vs 128 kbps), but much slower than standard DSL connections. In addition, a major benefit of switching to IDSL from ISDN is the always-on connection.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…

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