Well it depends on the DSL/Cable speed, a T1 is around 1.5MB, most DSL/Cable options should be faster but they probably have a higher contention ratio.
These connections are all pretty slow compared to VDSL2 and "Fiber to the premises". In Hong Kong for instance you can get a 1 Gbit/s fiber connection.
It's dissapointing we don't get cable TV here in SA so we could get the fast cable internet, but rather not some company will probably make the prices outrageous if they did bring cable TV to SA.