Can You Get DSL Without Phone Service?

Standalone or "naked DSL" eliminates the need for the cable that runs from the telephone switch to the telephone service splitter in a traditional DSL configuration. As a result, subscribers can get high-speed Internet access without having a dial tone on the landline or paying additional for home phone service. The FCC mandated that AT&T; and Verizon offer the service to subscribers as prerequisites for the approval of mergers both companies underwent.

Traditional DSL employs the use of an active landline to transmit data that allows you to gain access to high-speed Internet. Some providers require you to purchase home phone service as a requirement in order to receive DSL service while others will use your existing telephone landline to establish service. It is important to note that whenever an Internet service provider suggests that a home phone is not required for DSL service, you should ask whether you'll still need an active telephone jack or if the provider is offering the "naked" or standalone DSL. Both traditional and standalone DSL technology provide speeds that far exceed those of dial-up Internet connections. In most cases, DSL speeds will also exceed those of satellite Internet providers.

An advantage to standalone DSL is not having to pay extra for home phone service. Bundling home phone and DSL Internet in the traditional model typically gives you the benefit of having one bill for both services and one source to contact for customer service or technical issues. Subscribing to standalone DSL gives you the freedom to seek other providers for home phone service instead of being tied to that of your DSL Internet service provider or even eliminating home phone service altogether and going with a mobile option.

Where home phone service is imposed as a requirement for traditional DSL service by the provider, you may end up paying for features you don't need. On the other hand, providers of standalone DSL may decide to make this a less cost-effective option for subscribers unless the FCC imposes pricing restrictions that prohibit this. Standalone DSL is a technology that providers begrudgingly offer to subscribers because it lessens the opportunity to acquire a new home phone customer simultaneously. Standalone DSL is also not as widely available as traditional DSL.