How Does Dry Loop DSL Work?

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It goes by a number of names: naked, dry line, unbundled, dedicated loop or standalone service. No matter what you call it or who your service provider is, dry loop DSL is a cost-efficient way for a household to get high-speed Internet service.

Traditional DSL (or digital subscriber line) is typically bundled with a landline phone. That's because this type of broadband service transmits data over the same telephone wire as voice service. In fact, that's what makes DSL broadband--the ability to use a common wire for transmission of different types of data.
Landline voice service uses the lower end of the spectrum, while the data packets the computer sends and requests utilize the higher frequencies. Bundling these two services together not only allow consumers to combine services and save some money, but also to take advantage of faster connection speeds. As the use of mobile phones and VoIP skyrocket, however, many people have begun to abandon landline phone service. That's where dry loop DSL comes in.

Dry loop DSL works just like bundled DSL; it merely takes the landline out of the equation. Companies who offer standalone service offer consumers the opportunity to save some money by not paying for a voice service they won't be using. While homes or offices still pay for a phone line and need a wall-jack into which a modem can be plugged, the dedicated line is not associated with a phone number and will not provide a dial tone if a telephone is plugged in.

The reason you don't hear that dial tone is because the actual wiring of the service is different. With traditional DSL service, the cable for a line is run from the phone switch to a splitter, more commonly known as a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) splitter. The POTS splitter is what separates out the channels for voice and data transmission. Once separated, the cable runs back through the cable head and to the consumer, allowing for both phone and broadband service. Without the need for voice service, the phone cable doesn't need to be run through the POTS splitter. It's merely configured to be used for data transmission and run to the consumer. Thus, no dial tone and no landline service.

Customers who use small ISPs that lease the lines from local phone companies sometimes have difficulty with the initial set-up of service because there is confusion as to which company is responsible for installation or there's trouble leasing the line. While using unbundled DSL can potentially save you a bundle, that's not always the case. Some ISPs charge more for dry loop than bundled packages and some don't offer it at all. Most large phone companies, however, offer the service at reasonable rates to existing and new customers.