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How to get the best broadband deal without a landline

 (Unsplash )
(Unsplash )

The majority of broadband deals require a landline phone connection. And this means you’ll need to pay line rental as part of your package.

Line rental covers the cost of maintaining the network of copper and cable lines required for ADSL and Fibre-to-the-Cabinet broadband connections. You can expect to pay between £15 and £20 a month, and the cost must be included in the headline pricing for each broadband deal.

But what if you don’t have a landline or you simply don’t want to pay line rental? Here’s all you need to know about getting a broadband deal without a phone line.

Can I get broadband without a landline?

The short answer is yes, it is possible to get broadband without a landline. But your options will be more limited.

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Most households have either Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ASDL) broadband or fibre optic broadband. Both use Openreach’s network which covers 99% of the UK.

ADSL is delivered through copper telephone wires which means a landline is required. If it’s the only type of broadband available in your area, unfortunately this means you are stuck with it.

Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) broadband connects fibre cables to the green cabinet in your street. The connection to your home is then usually transferred over the same copper telephone wires used by ADSL. So, again, this means you’ll need a landline.

Note that the requirement to have a landline doesn’t mean you have to use the phone itself – the line just needs to be active.

But there are alternative broadband options that won’t require a landline connection. Just keep in mind they are not available to everyone.

How do I get broadband without a landline?

If you want to wave goodbye to line rental charges for good, the three main landline-free broadband options are as follows:

  • Fibre-to-the Premises

  • Cable broadband

  • Mobile broadband

We explain more about each one below.

Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP)

Like FTTC broadband, Fibre-to-the-Premises or ‘full fibre’ broadband, runs over fibre optic cables to the green telephone exchange in your street.

But unlike FTTC, it uses fibre cabling all the way to your home and doesn’t need to use copper telephone lines at all. In other words, you won’t need a landline.

The lack of copper wires also means FTTP can deliver ultrafast speeds – up to 1 Gigabit per second (1 Gbps).

The downside is that it’s currently only available to 14% of UK households, according to Ofcom, so there’s a good chance you won’t be able to benefit from it.

Cable broadband

Virgin Media is the only player in the cable broadband UK market and operates its own network of cables independent of Openreach. Cable broadband is delivered via fibre and coaxial cables and, providing your area is covered, you’ll be able to sign up for a broadband deal without a landline.

Keep in mind that although cable broadband is more widely available than FFTP, Virgin Media’s network currently only covers 53% of the UK. However, it expects this figure to rise.

Many Virgin Media customers can access broadband speeds of up to 516 Megabits per second (Mbps), while some can access speeds of 1Gbps.

Mobile broadband

As 5G continues to roll out across the UK, it’s likely that mobile broadband will become an increasingly popular option.

No cables or telephone lines are used, thus no landline is required. Instead, mobile broadband works by connecting to a mobile network and data is sent through 3G, 4G or 5G services.

To set up mobile broadband, you’ll need to use one of the following devices:

  • a dongle: a device that plugs into the USB port of your computer and connects it to the internet

  • a mobile Wi-Fi router or Mi-Fi: a device that connects to the local mobile network and broadcasts a Wi-Fi signal so you can get online

  • a data-only SIM card: thisworks in the same way as a SIM card for your mobile phone. It can be used in certain tablets and will only include a data allowance.

The big advantage to mobile broadband is it’s completely portable – so long as you can get a mobile signal, you’ll be able to get online.

Mobile broadband can also be suitable for those living in rural areas where there’s little to no home broadband coverage, but there is a decent mobile signal. In many cases, 4G speeds in these areas can actually be higher than those of the local fixed broadband.

For others, however, mobile broadband can simply be too slow. Both 3G and 4G connections are unlikely to be sufficient if you want to play games or stream videos on a regular basis, and usage caps could be too limiting (unless you get an unlimited deal).

The rollout of 5G should help with this, but speeds are still likely to vary depending on what network you’re on and where you live.

Will getting broadband without a landline be cheaper?

Although you might assume that not paying for line rental will bring down the cost of your broadband package, this is often not the case.

FTTP, cable broadband and mobile broadband can all work out to be pricier than ADSL or FTTC broadband. But, given download speeds are often much faster, you may feel the extra cost is worth paying.

How to get the best deal

As always, when choosing a broadband deal, it pays to shop around and run a number of quotes before deciding. If you’re unsure whether to choose a deal with or without a landline, run comparisons for both and weigh up the cost and speed differences.

Don’t forget to also check exactly what’s available in your area before making your decision. You can enter your postcode on the Openreach fibre broadband checker or the Virgin Media website to find out.