Is ADSL digital or analog?

Question

I've read that ADSL uses frequency-divided multiplexing and only analog signals use FDM. Then why there's the term 'digital' in ADSL(Asymmetric digital subscriber line) if it uses analog signals?

Answer 1

The signal is digital, the line encoding that implements this signal is described in the real macro world with analog.

Answer 2

A simple way to imagine it, digital signal is broken into different frequencies like a piano keys.

Then each tone is sent down the copper wire like a sound, this is then picked up at the far end and then Demodulated back into a digital string of 1s a nd 0s.

A modems name is created from the job it does as a Modulator / Demodulator.