Logonix Now Offering DSL Without Phone Service

Article posted with permission from The Macomb Journal (Monday, July 10, 2006 edition). Written by Chuck Gysi, Editor.

MACOMB - Area residents who want Internet service but who don't want to pay for wireless hardware or for an unwanted phone line now have an option.

Logonix Corp. now is offering PhonelessDSL, an Internet service that uses phone lines for delivering the service, but doesn't require local telephone service.

Ryan Limkeman, office manager for Logonix, said that his company began offering the new service on May 10, which is when Verizon began to no longer require customers to have telephone service in order to become DSL subscribers.

"The interest has picked up quite a bit," Limkeman said about the new offering.

The PhonelessDSL service is popular with those who perhaps have a cell phone but don't have a home phone. The unused phone line in the home can be used to carry the DSL service.

Being able to subscribe to DSL without having a phone line saves customers $30 minimum each month, Limkeman said, adding that it has proven appealing to college students in Macomb, especially those taking summer classes.

The PhonelessDSL service is the same DSL service offered to those who have and use a local phone line in conjunction with their DSL service, Limkeman said.

He noted that a couple of their customers have turned off their local phone service and switched to just DSL on their home phone lines. While customers are required to pay a $70 activation fee again to make the switch on their accounts, Limkeman noted that the cost would be a wash in just more than two months in the savings offered by not having a local phone line any more.

The new PhonelessDSL service is being offered in Astoria and Bushnell, as well as Macomb, as long as customers are within a certain distance of the telephone company's central office in each community.

PhonelessDSL costs the same as regular DSL with a phone line. While pricing can be found on the company's Web site at www.logonix.com, the cost varies from $26.95 to $55.95 a month, depending on the speed selected for the broadband service. The prices are based on a 12-month contract, however, for an additional $2 a month, the firm offers a month-to-month contract. The company also charges a $70 one-time activation fee.