A question directed to those knowledgeable with ISPs

So this has always struck my curiosity for a while.. Being since college

I've wondered that with home internet access speeds increasing constantly. How do they increase? If the area that connects the home to the box (or whatever) is never dug up and replaced? Or does this only account for very little of the speed produced?

Sorry if this sounds like a silly question

(Or if it doesn't make sense)

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networker050184

Newer technologies allowing for faster speeds over the same lines in those cases. A lot of the time it will include redoing the access lines as well though. Only so much speed you can get over a long copper pair.

gespenstern

For a while it increased because of using of shorter subscriber lines (twisted pair or coaxial) by introducing DSLAM modem pools closer to subscribers. As processor tech progressed, so as hardware compression and noise-filtering algorithms, DSL modems became more capable speed-wise. Also, they realized that people leech for the most part and rarely upload something, so they changed DL/UL ratio to favor download, therefore modems became like 40 mbits/sec for DL and up to 5 mbits/sec for UL.

But now it seems that everything is squeezed from existing wiring and in order to increase connection speed in both latency and bandwidth providers start using ethernet fiber (or copper in high-rise apartment buildings). Hopefully I'll be able to get fiber to my house some day.

echo_time_cat

^ Copper. To shorten the loop length, other mediums are often used, like Fibre. With a service like FTTN (fibre to the node), there are essentially Fibre trunks to, and between, remote Central Offices (you'll see them as semi large, generic utility boxes throughout neighborhoods). From these remote CO's, you'll then have the same copper run that has already been in place. However, because the CO is so much closer now, that copper loop isn't nearly as long. Resistance is greatly reduced and higher speeds are attainable.

Coaxial cable delivered Internet has a higher throughput rate than copper, and in generally does not have the same distance limitations as copper. The physical cable does have a max segment length, just like anything, but with a coax delivered service, you can simply use an amplifier to boost the signal.

Speeds vs Usage is a bit of an arms race. The consumer is always demanding more, with services like Netflix needing to gobble up more and more bandwidth, ISP's need to increase capacity and delivery of these speeds. I know I'd not be able to survive without my 30Mbps down, and I have friends that would not be able to go without their 120Mbps down. 10 years from now the consumer will be demanding Gigabit speeds, and without multi-looped/multi-applied (bonded) connections, the only ones who would be able to deliver would be incumbents with FTTH (Fibre to the home) services.