Do You Have to Have a Phone for DSL?

Put simply, broadband Internet is Internet delivered at high speed. Any form of Internet technology that delivers and sends data in digital or "bit" form, and operates significantly faster than dial-up Internet, is considered broadband. There is much variation among broadband Internet speeds, however. Broadband speeds generally range from 200 kilobits per second (or 200,000 bits per second) to 6 megabits per second (or 6,000,000 bits per second). Newer broadband service, however, have begun to come in at up to 50 or 100 megabits per second.

DSL, or digital subscriber line, is an extremely common form of broadband Internet service that operates by transmitting bits of data over actual wires. DSL uses the network of copper telephone wires already in place nationwide, sending the data in digital form through those wires.

DSL broadband Internet service, unlike traditional dial-up Internet service, does not require you to have a physical telephone or even landline telephone service. Because DSL is delivered via telephone lines, however, you cannot obtain DSL coverage if your home or business is not in a building connected to the telephone lines.

If you do not have the phone lines required for DSL service, or if there is no DSL provider available in your area, there are other ways of obtaining broadband Internet service. The most common forms of broadband (other than DSL) are satellite Internet; Internet via fiber-optic network; cable Internet; and wireless Internet. In addition, in some areas broadband Internet is available via the emerging technology of broadband delivered over power lines.