"By discontinuing a stand-alone DSL offer after May 6, we can control our cost structure more effectively, enabling us to continue providing competitively priced services to existing and new customers," Verizon said.

However, the change will remove two options that are slightly less expensive for customers who don't need a landline phone. On its website, Verizon currently offers naked DSL for $24.99 per month, before taxes, for a service with downstream speeds of 500K bps (bits per second) to 1M bps. The same level of DSL with a voice line costs $29.99 per month. A faster service, with downstream speeds ranging from 1.1M bps to 15M bps, costs $39.99 per month without voice and $44.99 with it.

While the move may increase Verizon's landline voice rolls, it could also give a boost to the carrier's faster, higher-priced FiOS service where it is available. FiOS, which runs over fiber to each subscriber's home, is available in bundles of voice, TV and Internet access at 15M bps downstream and 5M bps upstream. A limited-time offer on Verizon's site Friday offered that "triple play" bundle for $84.99 per month for two years with a two-year contract.

In the fourth quarter of last year, Verizon said it added 201,000 net new FiOS data connections for a total of 4.8 million. FiOS TV subscriptions were slightly behind that at 4.2 million.

The IDG News Service