There's a reason why the Xbox also works as a DVD player and has a hard drive and an Ethernet connection port on the back suitable for cable modem or a digital subscriber line Internet connection.

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With bulked-up networks, they have poached millions of phone companies' subscribers with cheap voice-over-Internet Protocol plans and sell faster Internet lines than the telcos' digital subscriber line services.

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The early-adopter set has been playing with home networking for a few years, but now the technology is spreading to mainstream consumers, who want to split the fast Internet connection of a cable modem or digital subscriber line (DSL) among several PCs, and also share computer files and peripherals such as printers and scanners.

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And while Microsoft currently offers digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet access in conjunction with its MSN online service, it needs a cable modem offering to drive more traffic to all of its Web properties.

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This development has prompted the former incumbents to accelerate the introduction of DSL (digital subscriber line) technologies to provide high-speed Internet access over the phone lines, Sarkar added.

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Alcatel holds a dominant position in the digital subscriber line (DSL) market, which provides high-speed Internet access over conventional phone lines.

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In theory, these systems would provide easy Internet access to homes, at speeds and prices comparable to that of cable or digital subscriber line connections.

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