How Do I Disconnect My Home Landline But Keep My DSL?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 22.7 percent of Americans had only cellular telephones-and no home landline telephone service-in the first half of 2009. Almost 15 percent of households had a landline, but received all or a majority of calls on their mobile phones. The Wall Street Journal went so far to suggest that home phone service is one of nine things you should not buy going forward. Dropping your landline often raises a concern: can I keep my DSL service? The answer is yes.

Instructions

1. Call the company that provides your local home telephone service. Follow the prompts in order to speak to a live representative about disconnecting your service.

2. Instruct the representative that you would like to keep your DSL service, but disconnect your home phone service only.

3. Ask the representative to ensure that you will not have a gap in service.

4. Schedule the necessary appointments and make sure you are home when your technician arrives to complete your order. Check to make sure your new DSL service is working before the technician leaves.

Tips & Warnings

• Phone companies, including AT&T as of January 2010, require that your home phone and DSL service are disconnected at the same time. After these disconnections take place, new DSL service is established and connected. Your representative should be able to schedule both appointments on the same day (or even consecutively) to make certain you are not without DSL service for more than a few minutes.

References

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Wireless Substitution: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey; January - June 2009
• The Wall Street Journal: A Few Things You Shouldn't Plan to Buy in 2010