What to expect with DSL

Activation: What to expect when signing up with NCF for DSL service

Upon signing up

• Within three business days of signing up for DSL, you should receive an email listing the expected activation date of your DSL service (the date Bell says they will be able to start DSL service on your line).
• Typically takes five business days for DSL service to be activated on your line by Bell.
• If you made a request in your comments while placing your DSL order and have not received a response from the NCF office after three business days, maybe it got lost. Our apologies. You may need to re-send your comment. See How to contact the NCF office below.
• If you ordered a modem from NCF to be picked up by you at the NCF office, we'll phone you when it is ready for pick-up. Don't drop by the office early, it may not be ready.

Before the Activation Date

• If you signed up for Dry DSL, Bell recommends that someone be home between 8am-5pm on the activation date. If that is not possible, contact NCF by email or by phone as soon as you get your activation date to arrange a better date. Dry DSL activations happen only on weekdays, always between 8am-5pm.
• It helps the installer test the line if you install filters on all your phones before the DSL signal is applied to the phone line. If you need line filters, drop by the NCF office to purchase some.

On the Activation Date

• For regular (not dry) DSL, activation is done from the Bell centreal office, with no need for anyone to visit your location. Activation typically occurs from 8am to 12am.
• For Dry DSL, Bell recommends that someone be home between 8am-5pm on the activation date. If that is not possible, contact NCF by email or by phone as soon as you get your activation date to arrange a better date. Dry DSL activations happen only on weekdays, always between 8am-5pm.

If all goes well, on the day after your Activation Date, your modem should see a DSL signal.

After the Activation Date

If after the activation date your DSL modem cannot see the DSL signal (see About DSL modem lights), please check the following:

• Check that the phone line is fully plugged in (clicks when plugged into the modem and into the wall).
• Turn your modem off and then turn it back on (to be sure it is looking for the DSL signal).
• If you still do not have a signal, try taking your modem to different working jacks at your lcoation. Finally, if you can, try to plug in the modem at the demarcation point (where the telephone wires come into the house). Note: Some demarcation points do not have an actual phone jack where you can test your modem. Also, perhaps you aern't sure where the demarcation point is. In both those cases, having checked different jacks in the house, please contact NCF and we will ask Bell to check your line.

Moving: What to expect when moving the location of your DSL service

The copper wires ('phone line') to your house are provided by Bell. The DSL service on those wires is provided by NCF. The voice service, if present, on those wires is provided by Bell or some other voice service provider.

Area served by NCF

NCF's mission is to serve resdients of the national capital region, which for simplicity is defined as the telephone area code regions of 613 and 819. If you are moving within the 613 and 819 area codes, NCF can help you make the move. If you are moving to outside NCF's region, unfortunately you'll need to make other arrangements for DSL at your new location.

Step one: Pick a date for your move

Bell requires at least five (5) business days advance notice, so pick your date at least that far in advance. Bell works only on weekdays, not on weekends.

Step two: Arrange the new phone line with Bell

Phone Bell (by dialling '311') and make arrangements for a new phone at your new location. Confirm with them the date the new phone line will be activated -- we need that information below.

Step three: What we need to know about your move

The best way to provide this information to the NCF office is to use a Office Message -- go to the Office Message page, select 'DSL Move', and provide the information. You'll receive confirmation by email and Office Message. Otherwise, you can contact the NCF office by phone.

As listed on the Office Message page, we need the following information to make your move:

• Full address including postal code of your new location
• New phone number (even if keeping the same number). NCF serves only the 613 or 819 area code.
• Name on the bill for the phone line (name to which the line is registered) at the new location.
• Date that Bell will be activating the phone line at the new location (see Step two above)
• Date DSL service should start at your new location (must be same as or later than phone line activation date above)
• Date you want DSL service to end at your current location (must be same as or earlier than DSL start date above)

It's best and most common to have your DSL service start at your new location on the same day as the phone line is activated, and to have your DSL service end at the old location also on that day. If you don't do that, Bell will sometimes require a five day interval between phone line activation and DSL start (so either do the DSL move on the same day as the phone line activation, or more than five days after the phone line activation).

What can go wrong with moves

Generally moves go as expected, but sometimes there are surprises, including:

• If there is an attempt to start DSL but the phone line is not yet active, the DSL activation order will fail and it will take at least five days to try again. This problem is reduced by planning ahead.
• Sometimes during the process of starting DSL on the new line, Bell discovers that service cannot be supplied to the new location. They don't tell us until the day of the attempted activation. We don't know anything that can be done to reduce this problem.
• Mistakes in the new address and new phone number can delay things.

Moving charge

Please note, there is a $5 charge for moving DSL service. It will appear on your next monthly DSL bill.

How to contact the NCF office

The best way to contact the NCF office is to log into the NCF StartPage (using your NCF account ID, which is two letter followed by three numbers, eg., ab123) at:

start.ncf.ca

and click on Help at the top-right of the page. Then click on 'Start an NCF Office Message'. Using this Office Message system ensures that your mesage will reach the office (you can track it, from Office Messages on your StartPage).

Otherwise, you can try reaching the office by phone, at 613-520-9001.