Am I Required to Have a Landline Telephone Connection With DSL Internet?

Instead of using cable or fiber-optic lines to connect homes to the Internet, as do broadband providers, companies that utilize DSL offer service by transmitting data through the copper wires of existing telephone lines. What makes DSL different than a dial-up connection is technology that allows providers to split the DSL signal, which travels on a high frequency, from the low-frequency phone connection. In a shared line, that technology allows the line to carry a dial tone with little or no interference with the Internet connection. In a dry loop connection, it allows subscribers to receive Internet service without having to activate phone service.

Laying cable or fiber-optic lines is a costly, labor-intensive task. As a result, many Internet providers that use cable or fiber-optic lines don't always provide service to all parts of their potential coverage area. This is especially true in rural communities, where cable and fiber-optic providers don't always feel it's a cost effective venture to run lines to areas where they might not get a lot of business. But being that one would be hard-pressed to find a modern home that isn't already wired for telephone service, companies that employ DSL technology usually have a built-in means for providing Internet service. So regardless of whether your neighborhood is connected through cable or fiber-optic lines, odds are you nonetheless have the option to subscribe to high-speed Internet service.

That's not to say everyone has the option to connect to the Internet through dry loop DSL. While such major phone companies as Qwest, AT&T; and Verizon now offer the phone-free service, some Internet providers have not yet unbundled their telephone and high-speed Internet services. The good news is the Federal Communications Commission, citing unfair business practices, has been pushing for widespread availability of dry loop DSL. So if it isn't available in your area now, its arrival may be just around the corner.

Subscribing to high-speed Internet service through a dry loop DSL connection doesn't necessarily mean you can't use the line to chat on. Because the split connection allows phone companies to connect homes to Internet and phone service independently, don't expect to get a dial tone if you plug a phone into an extra jack. However, there are a few companies that now offer telephone service through each customer's Internet connection --- regardless of whether that connection is cable, fiber optic, DSL or dry loop DSL. What's more is the cost of these services is generally a fraction of the price for traditional landline phone service.