No, DSL modems were not discontinued by everyone. Their use continued as broadband technology evolved.
No, DSL modems were not discontinued by everyone. Their use continued as broadband technology evolved.
I'm still dealing with my CenturyLink DSL connection. Recently, a surge caused the modem to make static sounds when under stress. I was considering a big investment of $100-200 for a new device, but instead I noticed Netgear removed all DSL references from their site, Amazon took out DSL modems, and Walmart also seems to have dropped them. It feels like my options are limited: a questionable third-party router for $300, renting from CenturyLink at $20 a month forever, or letting it handle the static noise until maybe Elon Musk sends me Starlink again because I preordered it in February. If anyone wants to know, I'm stuck around 750kbps download speed with no upgrades and only a few competitors besides HughsNet. I've been trying to buy a new house with a $200,000 budget for months, and the housing market is really tough.
DSL isn't really useful anymore, especially outside urban areas. For folks in rural spots, ISPs often keep you stuck with outdated technology because the economics don't work for them.
In Estonia, there is one ISP, who still has many clients on ADSL and VDSL/VDSL2 (with v35b) networks. ADSL is being discontinued (only used in rural areas) and existing clients will be upgraded to VDSL or fiber or sidegraded to 4G LTE. Current timeline for that is probably around 2-3 years. VDSL and VDSL2 are going to stay for a lot longer than that, so DSL modems are still going to be relevant here for years to come. EDIT: Regarding the routers, the ISP offers one model only at the moment, but it supports them all - ADSL, VDSL and fiber (through ONT). There are many in the used market though and third-party ones aren't guaranteed to work - people generally have more issues getting it to work, but it's not very well documented.
AT&T leads the U.S. telephone market. They have discontinued dSLN sales, though you can retain your device if needed. VDSL remains available but is unavailable in rural zones, just like coaxial service isn't offered there. Fiber and 5G are likely the future, with fiber in urban areas and 5G expanding coverage elsewhere. Also, many existing copper lines are deteriorating, so companies prefer not to spend on repairs.
But 5G presents similar challenges, requiring fiber connections to towers and careful planning to prevent congestion. You'd likely need more infrastructure than VDSL street cabinets, which won't be affected by heavy usage. It's also difficult to define what counts as rural, as even small areas like Crane, TX have recently seen new installations. FTTP seems a more stable and future-proof option compared to these limitations.
Usually when you own a lot of property and your neighbors are far away, it feels rural. But with 5G, distances don’t matter much. DSL won’t work there. Remember, phone companies focus on profits rather than quality. They’ll happily provide 768k 5G for a low price, thinking rural folks will pay it. Who will actually cover the cost? Not the ISP.
It's mainly spread out due to its vast size. The majority of residents live in four major cities: Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. There, high-speed fiber or cable is readily available. In areas with just ten people per square mile, things are quite different.