How to compare broadband only packages
Dan Howdle | March 12th, 2024
Although a ‘broadband only deal’ sounds simple, providers have their own definitions of what this type of package includes and involves.
What do we mean by 'broadband only'?
The answer seems quite obvious at first glance. It means broadband on its own. That's how any sane person would define it. However, providers have a habit of defining things differently from the rest of us and that has certainly been the case when it comes to broadband only as the providers have defined it over the years.
When fibre broadband started to appear in the UK around 12 years ago there was no such thing as broadband only. This is because in order to have broadband, you needed a phone line to bring it into your home and this phone line would also be used for calls. What's more, providers used to separate the cost of the line (line rental) from the cost of the broadband, even though the two could not at that time be separated.
For many years the only way to get a true broadband only deal was from Virgin Media, which would provide its cable broadband service with not live phone line. The trouble was, that the main reason people might have wanted to shun a landline was to save money, and Virgin Media charged the same money for its packages whether you had a landline or not.
It's only in the last couple of years that other providers have offered true broadband only, without a live landline, and many of the deals you see today are now advertised without one. If you want a landline, you then have to add one onto the package at the checkout and at extra cost. We haven't seen a price reduction to any great extent on broadband only deals, but rather the option not to pay extra for one.
Is broadband only right for you?
A broadband only deal is perfect if you don't make calls from your landline and rely instead on the mobile phones used by members of your household. Broadband only is also ideal if you don't want to bundle your subscription TV or if you want to pay for separate TV services with another provider such as Sky. You can get broadband only from Virgin Media, for example, and add Sky Stream from Sky if you so desire, which some would argue is the best of both worlds.
You'll also be paying less for services that you don’t want, giving you the cheapest broadband possible. You may still have to pay line rental for your landline connection, but not having a handset or call package means that you can avoid nuisance calls.
Cable.co.uk compares broadband only packages from the leading UK providers, saving you time and money. Look out for our exclusive deals you won't find anywhere else.
Which UK providers offer just broadband?
Most UK providers offer broadband only deals, without TV, landline phone calls or mobile phone provision included.
Our comparison lists every UK provider who offers their version of broadband only. This can be split into ultrafast broadband without a phone line, and broadband with a phone line but just PAYG calls. Here’s a run down of what the major UK providers offer in terms of broadband only deals:
| Provider | Top download speed | Landline | Calls | Price from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Media | 2Gbps | No | None | £24p/m | Compare |
| BT | 900Mbps | No | None | £29.99p/m | Compare |
| Sky | 900Mbps | Yes | Pay as you go | £27p/m | Compare |
| Plusnet | 910Mbps | No | None | £24.99p/m | Compare |
| TalkTalk | 910Mbps | Yes | Pay as you go | £24.95p/m | Compare |
For more detailed reviews about the providers we list on Cable.co.uk, have a look at our broadband reviews to see which ISP is right for you.
Do I still need a landline if I don’t use the home phone?
No, you don't. Providers, and Openreach in general, are in the process of a long, slow, but measurable phase-out of home telephone lines. You needn't worry that you won't be able to get one tomorrow, next month, or next year, but by the end of the decade we expect traditional, analogue landlines to have become extinct, with digital landlines (where voice calls are delivered over the internet) taking their place in the small percentage of households that still require one for whatever reason.
The latest Full Fibre broadband tech that's being rapidly rolled out across the UK doesn't need a conventional landline at all, and this is one of the key factors enabling their slow phase-out. Full Fibre packages are almost exclusively sold with no landline, but with the option to add one if needed. Virgin Media uses its own network and does not require a phone line to deliver its services. Hence it has always been able to offer broadband without a phone line, albeit without any accompanying cost saving.
Also, a number of smaller, Full Fibre internet providers such as Hyperoptic, Community Fibre and YouFibre, that offer internet access without a landline as standard.
Contrary to what you might think, it’s almost never the case that you’ll save any money by opting for a landline-free broadband deal.
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Can I get Full Fibre without a landline?
A wide range of fibre broadband deals are available that don’t include phone calls, while Full Fibre specifically doesn't offer a landline as standard across the board.
The advent of Full Fibre has meant that a landline is no longer automatically included in these packages. In fact, Openreach has announced that it will be switching off the old analogue phone network in 2025 and customers will instead be offered a digital phone line instead. For now, ultrafast packages of 145Mbps and more that operate over the Openreach network (used by BT, Plusnet, Vodafone, TalkTalk and Sky amongst others) do not come with a landline as standard, but you can choose to add one if you want.
Other, smaller fibre networks, such as Community Fibre based in London, YouFibre (which is currently rolling out its network across areas of the UK), community provider Gigaclear and London provider Hyperoptic all use exclusively pure fibre networks, which means all their packages are broadband only as standard, but most of them do allow you to add a digital line.
