dsl question

[howard]

got a question....do you need to have a phone line...as in like a phone number from a phone company to use dsl not.

the circumstance being that i don't want the phone number and access to a phone-line...i just want the dsl


also what companys have good dsl prices

[Ugg]

Yup, gotta have a phone line. It depends upon where you are as to what kind of deal you can get. I'm in N. California and pay 40 per month for DSL with SBC. 35-50 seems to be the going rate. Do some checking via the web for your location as to who offers the best pricing. Also beware of specail deals where you have to sign up for a year or more, they often come with substantial early disconnection charges.

[howard]

now i don't mean do you need the physical phone line...do you need the phone service....


for example if you have a phone line and dsl services with verizon...and you want to cancel the phone services...does that mean that they take away the dsl too?

or if you just use a cell phone and want dsl....can you get that from sbc?

[Ugg]

I've always been under the impression that you have to have regular phone service in order to get DSL. I've never seen anyone ask the question though.... Your best bet would be to go to your local phone company's website and check out their terms and conditions.

[iShater]

Yes you do have to have a live phone line. Most of the time that would cost you around $10-15 if you don't have any services on it, just the line charge :rolleyes:

[Doctor Q]

Originally posted by howard
the circumstance being that i don't want the phone number and access to a phone-line...i just want the dslWhen I got DSL service, all the ads said that you can use voice services on the same line that carries the DSL signals. I didn't care one way or the other, but I asked about it and was told "that's not available in your area". So I do have an additional phone line, but I don't have an extra phone number and I have no service on that line other than DSL. So some DSL services come with voice services and some don't.

[peterjhill]

The answer is a definite "no" You do not need dial tone and a phone number on a line that is to be used for DSL. I in fact have this. I have an sDSL connection over a completely separate copper pair to the phone company CO. Now here is the caveat, it may be more difficult to find a provider that will do this. For generic aDSL, most companies will be unwilling to provision a line just for your DSL, but it is possible.

Also, it is possible to have a cable modem and not have cable. Again there may be an incentive to have both, but it is not a requirement from a technological point of view.

Shop around and you should get lucky as long as you are within the limits of DSL.

[Nermal]

You need a physical line, but don't need phone service. I know a couple of people who didn't pay their phone bill and had their phone line disconnected, but their DSL continued to work fine. Of course once the telco noticed, the DSL disappeared too :)