In 2005 Colombia had 345,000 broadband subscriber lines, or one per 100 inhabitants.

Despite seven months of promises, I learned recently that there would be no high-speed digital subscriber line in my home.

Compaq in particular had been discussing subscriber line with other big technology companies at least since the summer of 1996.

One type of service, a digital subscriber line, is often not available to homes more than three miles from a phone company switching station.

It now controls 90 percent of the market for high-speed digital subscriber lines.

Pair gain has the effect of creating additional subscriber lines.

Others, like the "subscriber line charge," are growing as a portion of an average monthly bill.

By 1987 the installation base had grown to 400,000 subscriber lines.

But the company ended the quarter with 2.4 million subscriber lines, up from 1.6 million a year ago.

Images will look even sharper with a digital subscriber line.