If you're looking for the best broadband internet experience, you may have heard about 'shared' and 'dedicated' networks. These refer to the two technologies available for broadband access—cable (MaxOnline) which is 'shared' and asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL), so called 'dedicated' access. Trouble is, 'dedicated' access isn't as dedicated as you might think. Nor is it as consistent as claimed.
Let's look at a few reasons why.

Everything is shared on the Internet
You see, 'dedicated' Internet access such as ADSL is only true for the short stretch from your home to the telephone exchange. For most of the time, you're actually sharing with the users in your area, and the millions of users around the world. As the websites, music, video and other downloads are in this space, your speed really depends on the traffic on the Internet and the site you're visiting.

The myth of dedicated access and consistent speed
In fact, 'dedicated' access cannot guarantee perfectly consistent speeds. Otherwise, ADSL users would enjoy the same speed throughout the day, every day of the week, peak or off-peak. Instead, they experience the same peak period slowdowns as everyone else.

Partly dedicated is hardly dedicated
'Dedicated' access is only a small part of a shared network, and cannot guarantee consistent speed, as speed depends a lot on traffic on the Internet.

Other factors can limit ADSL speeds. For instance, the further you are from the telephone exchange, the slower it gets. Speed also drops depending on the quality of the phone line. This can mean additional cost, as ADSL users may need to buy a microfilter to improve transmission quality.There's more than enough for all with MaxOnline.
Some service providers tell you that with 'shared' access, speeds will drop as more people on your block go online. That won't happen with MaxOnline. Because MaxOnline delivers a massive reservoir of bandwidth, there's always more than enough for everyone.

Dive into a more enriching Internet experience
MaxOnline makes the Internet more enjoyable in a few ways. For a start, it's unlimited so you can surf as long as you want at one flat fee.

You'll enjoy the highest residential download speed of up to 100Mbps⁺. This lets you do more online at the same time, and share with the family without slowdowns.
MaxOnline is ideal for the family to share, because there are no log-ins, passwords or complicated set-ups. MaxOnline even comes with free Digital Voice for hours of crystal clear conversation.

What's more, MaxOnline now gives you free mobile broadband. Stay connected wherever you are.

With this high-speed, easy broadband network, you and your family can look forward to smooth, speedy access to everything on the Internet. So go on, take the plunge with MaxOnline!

1. What is the difference between Cable and ADSL?
   Cable and ADSL are two different kinds of broadband access technologies. While ADSL modems use existing phone lines to transmit data, cable modems transmit data via StarHub's network, built on an advanced broadband architecture known as hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC).
   With ADSL modems, each home has an unshielded twisted copper wire pair to the local area telephone exchange. For StarHub's MaxOnline, all homes are directly linked to our regional and central facilities, which is the equivalent of our competitor's local area telephone exchange.
   As highlighted in many technical publications such as DSL Forum, ADSL access speeds are dependent on the length of connection between the customer and the local area telephone exchange or the telephone company's central office. Hence, ADSL technology is distance sensitive and works best within the 18,000 feet mark. In comparison, the cable network does not face the challenge of distance.
   
   ADSL network uses telephone copper lines which are unshielded media and are subject to external radio interferences that can adversely affect the access speeds. ADSL users are required to install a micro filter device to counter the transmission impairment due to signal interferences. Cable network on the other hand, employs shielded coaxial cables that are more effective in preventing external radio interferences and there is no need for cable users to invest in noise filtering devices.
2. Does ADSL provide dedicated access to the Internet?A. Cable and ADSL are two different kinds of broadband access technologies. StarHub offers both Cable and ADSL access services to meet the needs of different market segments. The "dedicated access" of a ADSL service is typically only up to the local telephone exchange and constitutes a small part of the entire ADSL route. The larger portion of the ADSL route beyond the local telephone exchange is the Internet backbone, which is a public network shared by all users over the world.
   Given the nature of the Internet, no Internet service provider is able to guarantee consistent end-to-end or "dedicated access" speed. If there is indeed an end-to-end dedicated access to the Internet, users will not encounter any difference in Internet access speed between peak and off-peak surfing hours. Therefore, there is little basis for any Internet access technology to claim the advantage of a "dedicated" last mile network.
3. Is ADSL a faster connectivity compared to cable?A. All our StarHub's MaxOnline products offer 'always on' unlimited access. Our MaxOnline Ultimate is the one with the highest download speed in Singapore for residential broadband, up to 100Mbps⁺, compared to other broadband plans in the market.
4. Will access speed drop when there are more subscribers in my estate, inclusive of StarHub TV subscribers?
   Cable companies can segment their network for the provisioning of multiple services by assigning dedicated frequencies for the delivery of video, data and voice services without conflict nor compromise on quality. Additional bandwidths are also reserved for future generation of services.
   Since cable services use distinctly different channels, you can watch StarHub TV, talk on the phone, and surf the Net simultaneously without experiencing service or speed degradation.
   StarHub's network is highly scalable. We are also closely monitoring our network performance continuously, and we will optimise any part of our network by proactively refining the respective network elements should we see signs of excessive traffic build-up in time to come.
5. For MaxOnline customers with either 100Mbps⁺ or 30Mbps or 16Mbps or 6Mbps or 3Mbps plans, is the bandwidth shared among the users in the whole neighbourhood?A. The 100Mbps*, 30Mbps or 16Mbps, 6Mbps or 3Mbps are limits that are assigned to INDIVIDUAL cable modems. They are not bandwidth limits for the whole neighbourhood of block of flats. At the cable network level, our customers share much greater bandwidth within their respective local service areas. From our operating experience, we know that it is unlikely that everyone within the same service area accesses the Internet in the same nanosecond at any point in time. Hence, even during peak hours, we do not expect any significant performance degradation within the cable network within the local area.

This webpage was last updated on 3 March 2009.
+ With 100Mbps-ready cable modem. Actual bandwith is dependent on hardware, software, internet traffic and destination server.