What does that 2 Mbit/s exactly mean for an ADSL?

What does that 2 Mbit/s exactly mean for an ADSL? Recently I came to talk with a network guy about ADSL. He said that an ADSL of 2 Mbit/s means 2 Mbit/s from my modem to the ISP, not 2 Mbit/s from the modem to the internet. That means the speed of the line actually depends on how well the ISP can let me go to the internet.
Asked by: Guest \| Views: 339

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Guest [Entry]

"Short answer: yes.

Suppose an ISP has 100 megabits to the internet. They might have 100 customers, each with 2 Mbps each. They are assuming that all 100 customers will not use that 2 Mbps at once. They may even use devices to ""shape"" the traffic to make it so everyone gets a fair share if everyone tries to use their max speed at once.

Also, 2 Mbps is one direction. ADSL has two speeds, the upload and download speeds."