Does Broadband Require a Home Phone?

The only type of broadband Internet service that requires users to have an active home phone line is digital subscriber line. DSL splits a building's telephone lines into two frequency channels, one of which continues to be used for phone calls while the other transmits Internet data. Users can place and receive phone calls while accessing the Internet because of the way DSL splits the line, but this type of broadband Internet will not work without an active home phone.

Some Internet service providers offer a second type of DSL connection called freestanding DSL. This system also uses a building's phone lines, but it does not require an active home phone service. As long as the building is wired for telephone, some Internet companies can install freestanding DSL in it. This service is just as fast as traditional DSL and is cheaper for users who want to cancel their landline phone service and use cellular phones exclusively for their calls.

Cable Internet services transmit data to a building's computers using the wiring that carries data to its television sets. This service does not involve the telephone lines at all. Many cable television providers offer service bundles for users, giving them lower rates if they subscribe to cable television and Internet jointly. The speed and quality of the connection with cable Internet is equivalent to that of DSL, and users can watch cable television and access the Internet simultaneously.

A wireless Internet connection uses radio waves to transmit data to and from a user's computer, allowing him to connect to the Internet without plugging his computer into anything. A satellite Internet connection uses a small satellite dish to connect to the Internet, and while the computer must be linked to the dish, the dish itself receives data from the Internet without wires of any kind. Neither wireless Internet nor satellite Internet requires a home phone line.

Fiber optic Internet services use wires composed of glass filaments as thin as human hairs, sending Internet signals down the filaments in the form of light. Fiber cables must be specially installed and are not related to a building's telephone lines or standard cable television wires at all. Because data travels through fiber optic cables as light, it can travel at light speed, allowing users the highest download and upload speeds available at the time of this publication.