Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is the next generation of Internet access technology and RGV now is offering DSL to the Lexington area!

Save $ on your phone bill by eliminating that second line dedicated to dialing-out to the Internet.  With DSL, you can be on the Internet and on the phone at the same time, with only 1 line being used.

Your DSL line is completely dedicated, you will have the same high speed connection 24 hours a day!  You will be able to surf the Internet up to 50 times faster than with standard dial-up modems, and downloads can be completed up to 1.5Mb per second! 

Advantages of DSL:

You can leave your Internet connection open and still use the phone line for voice calls.

The speed is much higher than a regular modem (1.5 Mbps vs. 56 Kbps)

DSL doesn't necessarily require new wiring; it can use the phone line you already have.

The company that offers DSL will usually provide the modem as part of the installation.

Voice Services + Phone Lines over DSL
   Get an extra phone line over your DSL line; free local calling, free unlimited long distance + 1 voice mail box

DSL Service:

Speed Ranges to choose from:
   1.5MB/512KB

5 FREE email addresses with anti spam and anti virus email filtering

FREE personal web space (non-commercial)

FREE helpdesk support for DSL, email and Internet connection related issues.

How much does it cost? See our RATES for information on service and package prices.

Important Information:

Due to distance limitations you will need to be within a 3 to 5 mile radius from downtown, Main Street, Lexington or live within the Buena Vista city limits.  If you are not within that range, a good alternative to DSL would be RGV's Satellite service or ISDN.

Depending on where you are, your line may need to be pre-qualified.  If so, please complete an authorization (pre-qual) form in order to have the selected phone line tested. There is a fee associated with this. Once your line information is available, we will contact you with the specifics and discuss your options for receiving DSL. 

You more than likely do not have to have this test performed. Please contact us to discuss your options and your location.

From DSL order to install takes time; usually 5 or 6 business days.

A DSL modem will be needed.  This will have to be equipment specific to the equipment RGV uses to provide the DSL service. RGV will provide this equipment for purchase or rental.

Questions & Answers...

What is DSL?

DSL, which stands for Digital Subscriber Line, is a broadband communication technology designed for use on regular phone lines. It has the ability to move data over the phone lines at speeds up to 140 times speedier than the fastest analog modems available today.

Benefits of DSL:

In addition to their very high speed, DSL modems have many benefits over analog modems. Unlike the dial-up connections required for analog modems, your DSL connection is always on. That means no more logging on and off, no more busy signals and no more waiting for the connection to happen - it's always there. Another benefit is the ability to use the phone at the same time the data connection is on; you don't have to choose between the two.

How fast is it?

Depending on the level of service offered by your DSL provider, the DSL modem can download data at speeds ranging from 256 Kilobits per second up to 8 Megabits per second. An industry standard offering 1.5 Mbps downstream known as G.lite is coming out soon. This speed is more than 25 times faster than a 56.6 Kbps modem.

How can it be so much faster than a modem when it uses the same phone line?

Analog modems send their signals through the public switched telephone network, the same one that connects ordinary telephones. DSL modems "piggyback" their signals on top of the voice signal. On the phone company's premises, the line gets split - the voice calls are sent to the public switched telephone network, and the data transmission goes to the Internet. This method moves data off the phone companies' lines and instead uses connections optimized for carrying Internet traffic.

Will it work with my computer?

Yes, and the newer the computer the better the performance. There are two types of DSL modems, internal and external. Internal modems are cards that are installed inside your computer via a PCI plug-in card. External modems can be connected to your computer via a USB, 10BaseT, or other networking interface. If your computer is already configured to operate on a local area network (LAN), it will have an interface that can connect to an external modem. If you do not have an internal modem or a network interface, you will need to get one.

How will DSL affect my phone calls:

In most cases, DSL will not interfere with your phone calls and vice-versa. In some cases when you are using the same phone line for both DSL and POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service), you will need to add a simple filter between your phone and the wall jack.

What is the difference between DSL and Cable modem?

DSL provides always-on high-speed Internet access over a single dedicated telephone line; cable modems offer always-on high-speed Internet access over a shared cable television line. While cable modems have greater downstream (from the Internet into the home) bandwidth capabilities, the bandwidth is shared among all users in a neighborhood, and will therefore vary, perhaps dramatically, as more users in a neighborhood get online at the same time. Cable modem upstream (from the home to the Internet) traffic will in many cases be slower than DSL, either because the particular cable modem is inherently slower, or because too many people in a neighborhood are trying to send or receive data at the same time. The big difference between DSL and cable modems, however, is the number of lines available to each. There are no more than 12 million homes today that can support two-way cable modem transmissions, and while the figure is growing steadily, it will not catch up with telephone lines for many years. Only about 20 percent of homes are ready for cable modems now, compared to 50 to 60 percent of homes that are ready for DSL service. 

Additionally, many of the older cable networks are not capable of offering a return channel; consequently, such networks will need significant upgrading before they can offer high bandwidth services.

How It Works:

When you connect to the Internet, you might connect through a regular modem, through a local-area network connection in your office, through a digital subscriber line (DSL) connection. DSL is a very high-speed connection that uses the same wires as a regular telephone line.

Key Points About DSL Service:

Your phone company is not the only provider of DSL service.  So be sure to consider your local provider, RGV!

Your phone company does not tell you about DSL service available from other companies.

Just because you are near your CO, and it is a DSL equipped CO, does not mean you can get DSL.

A DSL order can be accepted, then may be canceled, because the phone company finds a problem with your line.  That is why a pre-qualification test is sometimes necessary.

The phone company is under no obligation to provide DSL capable lines, or DSL, to everyone.  This is a problem RGV has experienced in some areas around Lexington.  Due to equipment placed by the phone company, DSL isn't possible to several locations.

In ordering DSL, if you research wisely, you get what you pay for.

In ordering the cheapest DSL available, you cannot expect much attention from humans.  So be careful.

Rockbridge Global Village, Inc.
30 Crossing Lane, Suite 206
Lexington, VA 24450
540-463-4451
info@rockbridge.net
www.rockbridge.net

See our User Policies for full and detailed information
about guidelines for the use of RGV services.

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