DSL Question

[drewjustdrew]

Currently I have cable internet, but I hate comcast. I rely exclusively on cell phones for phone usage. My house does have phone lines wired everywhere. Do I need phone service in order to get DSL, or is having the lines enough?

[FouTight]

You will need phone service.

[TheTROLL]

Technically you don't, but the commercial reality is that it's only available to phone service subscribers.

[Guthrie]

You may be able to get a really cheap line if you ask. Different deals in different places, at least until SBC takes them all back over, but some phone companies offer metered service where you pay a very small connection charge and then pay by the minute. If you make few or no calls, this could be a much cheaper alternative. Whether you can get this in conjunction with DSL is another matter.

In any event, a basic phone line is a LOT cheaper if you leave off a long-distance plan and all the add-ons like call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, caller ID, and wire maintenance. Most people are stunned if you show them how little their actual phone bill is compared to all the extras they think they can't live without.

[CORed]

[ QUOTE ]
You may be able to get a really cheap line if you ask. Different deals in different places, at least until SBC takes them all back over, but some phone companies offer metered service where you pay a very small connection charge and then pay by the minute. If you make few or no calls, this could be a much cheaper alternative. Whether you can get this in conjunction with DSL is another matter.

In any event, a basic phone line is a LOT cheaper if you leave off a long-distance plan and all the add-ons like call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, caller ID, and wire maintenance. Most people are stunned if you show them how little their actual phone bill is compared to all the extras they think they can't live without.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wire maintenance is one of the biggest scams the phone companies throw at you. For one thing, it's pretty rare for anything to go wrong with the inside wiring, and if it does, it's not exactly rocket science to run a new wire fomr the network interface to the jack(s).

[wonderwes]

DSL is actually not that slower than cable. Now people think it is, but for most daily online tasks, you will notice little difference.

I know SBC runs a deal, cheap phone line, and a 1 year DSL line for $25. A dsl contract does suck, but if you are not moving, then it is certainly cheaper than cable.

[drewjustdrew]

I went ahead and went digital cable and kept the cable modem. In 6 months when the promotion ends, I'll reevaluate, but this cheap line definitely sounds like an option.

Cable modem IMO is not that fast because of the shared line. Faster than dial-up, but not as fast as my work connection.