AAPT promises 'naked DSL' by Christmas

AAPT has revealed that it will start selling Internet connectivity without the need for a phone connection before the end of the year.

Speaking today at the Australian Financial Review Broadband Australia conference in Sydney, Paul Broad, CEO of AAPT, said the naked DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) product will be available before Christmas but refused to give further details of where the service will be launched.

Broad did, however, reveal the naked DSL product will be available as both a wholesale and retail offering.

"We're looking at effectively a primary line replacement product ... in my place in Sydney, I don't have a fixed line nor do I want one -- not at AU$30 month," he told delegates.

AAPT is not the first service provider to consider freeing users from a mandatory landline phone account. TPG also hinted on its forums that it was considering selling naked DSL plans. iiNet has recently announced a trial of naked DSL and VoIP provider Engin is committed to launching a landline free broadband product before the end of the year.

Others have sought to offer broadband without an inexorable landline by using mobile networks. Virgin Mobile announced last month that it would begin offering a "fixed" broadband service which routes data across Optus's 3G network.