High-speed Internet: What's best for you? Here's some information to help you decide:

DSL (digital subscriber line)

Lucent Technologies. (ENLARGE)

Color-coded glass fibers - which transmit voice and data as light impulses - are at the core of this fiber-optic cable produced at a Lucent Technologies plant in Norcross. The fiber strands are surrounded by layers designed to protect them from moisture and gnawing rodents once the cable is buried underground.

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Best for those who ... check e-mail sometimes and browse Web sites. If the basic speed of 768 kilobits per second (kbps) is too slow, faster speeds, like 3 megabits per second (mbps), are available.

Cost and speed: Around $20 a month for 768 kbps. Downloads a 1-megabyte photo in about 10 seconds.

Keep in mind: DSL works through copper phone lines, so if your phone is out of service, your Internet connection might be, too.

Cable

Best for those who ... regularly read and send e-mails; enjoy downloading music and watching videos online.

Cost and speed: Around $40 a month for 6 mbps. Downloads a 1-megabyte photo in about 1.5 seconds.

Keep in mind: You and your neighbors share the cables that deliver the connection, so you may hit a few speed bumps during peak usage hours (such as after dinner).

Fiber optics

Best for those who ... share a lot of photos and videos online and download or upload movies and other large files from the Web.

Cost and speed: About $53 a month for a 15-mbps connection. Downloads three 1-megabyte photos in about 1.6 seconds.

Keep in mind: Fiber optics (super-speedy networks of glass wires) are not available everywhere. (Verizon FiOS, the largest national provider, is available in 16 states so far.)