Can I get a phone line installed just for broadband?

Advertisement

Unlimited calls to UK landlines + 0845 and 0870 numbers FREE for 3 months Go

Unlimited calls to UK landlines + 20 calling features From only £3.99 a month Go

Our expert says...

Hi Joanne, although many people, like yourself, only need a landline for their broadband connection, if you have a copper wire ADSL broadband connection - which runs through your phone line - you’ll have to have a landline installed and pay line rental each month.

Line installation

A number of broadband providers will install a landline in your home, for a fee, if you agree to take their line rental.

BT (www.bt.com) is one of the biggest landline installers, and charges £130 for line installation (though this is reduced to £30 if you take a bundled package). You'll then be tied into an 18-month contract for its £14.60 a month line rental. There are cheaper deals available though.

TalkTalk (www.talktalk.co.uk) charges £50 to install a line, however it regularly has promotions offering discounted or free installation. Other providers who offer landline installation include Primus Saver, which charges £59. And if you do decide that you want a digital TV bundle, Sky (www.sky.com) will install a line from £39.

	Free installation	28 Day Guarantee
Call TalkTalk 0800 049 7834 Go	Call BT now 0800 028 4474 Go	Call Virgin Media 0808 189 0508 Go	Call Sky now 0844 241 0582 Go	Call Primus now 0800 036 0170 Go
FREE connection	£0 with any calls & Broadband package	£0 with Calls Broadband + TV £40 otherwise	£10 connection charge	£59 connection charge
Set-up usually within 7 & 10 days for a new line installation. If switching from Virgin, you can keep your line until your new line has been activated *	Setup within 4 working days for a connection, and up to 16 working days for new line installations *	Setup usually within 2 weeks. Plus you can normally keep your number. Virgin Media also offers a 28 day money back guarantee *	Setup normally between 14 and 28 days for connetion or new line*	Setup between 12 - 14 days normally for a new line installation *
Go Call TalkTalk now 0800 049 7834	Go Call BT now 0800 028 4474	Go Call Virgin Media 0808 189 0508	Go Call Sky now 0844 241 0582	Go Call Primus now 0800 036 0170

* All providers allow you to select a convenient appointment on a suitable date when you place your order online. However, line setup times will typically depend on the availability of an engineer, and other factors, such as the number of concurrent line installations in your area.

Cheap broadband

If you're looking for cheap broadband providers, two good choices are Plusnet and TalkTalk.

Plusnet offers the UK’s cheapest broadband package, starting from just £6.49 a month for 20Mb broadband with a 10GB download allowance, plus £12.99 a month line rental.

TalkTalk’s Essentials package, which comes with inclusive home phone calls, costs £6.99 a month and comes with speeds of up to 24Mb and a much higher 40GB download allowance - which is probably more suitable if you have kids at home and will be sharing your broadband over a wireless connection. TalkTalk line rental then costs £14.50 a month on top. You also have the option to add Boosts from TalkTalk, which can increase your speed, as well as doubling your downloads to a massive 80GB a month - perfect if your children are heavy downloaders.

Cable broadband

If you want a home broadband connection without having to pay for line rental each month, then you do have the option of going for one of Virgin Media’s (www.virginmedia.com) cable packages.

Because it has its own network and doesn’t use the copper wire telephone lines that other providers use, Virgin Media is able to deliver broadband to your home without a phone line.

All of Virgin Media’s packages are available without a phone line, but they do cost more if you take just the broadband. For example, its 10Mb L Broadband package costs £12.75 a month if taken with its £13.90 a month line rental - or £20.25 a month as a standalone product.

It is one of the fastest broadband providers though, coming top in Ofcom’s download speed research last year, with the average 20Mb XL customer getting speeds of 15.7Mb - making it a great choice for wireless households. It also offers a 50Mb broadband package and the UK’s fastest downloads on its 100Mb broadband package.

Virgin Media charges a £40 standard installation fee, though often discounts this for new customers taking bundled packages.

Mobile broadband

Although mobile broadband is a good option for some people who do not have a home phone line, the low download allowances and high out-of-bundle data costs mean that it is not a good idea to share a mobile broadband connection among a number of users - especially if they're going to be spending a lot of time online, as kids often do.

Bundling

Although you say you don’t need a home phone service, some bundles can actually save you money on your overall costs.

For example, Virgin Media’s 10Mb broadband costs £20.25 a month. And while you don’t have to pay line rental or any home phone costs on top, taking TalkTalk’s Essentials package - with broadband, home phone calls and line rental - still works out cheaper, at just £19.29 a month.

Wireless broadband

Almost all broadband providers - including all those mentioned here - now offer a free wireless broadband router when you sign a contract with them. Some of these come pre-configured, making them even easier to install, and you can connect multiple computers, and other wireless devices like the iPod Touch and the Nintendo DS, at the same time.

Even if your chosen provider doesn’t offer a free wireless router, you can easily buy one online or in any computer store, for less than £30.

If your computers are compatible, you should make sure that you use the latest form of wireless security - WPA - when you set up your passwords and encryption. This will stop hackers and outside users from piggybacking your connection.

You should also make sure than you have adequate, up-to-date internet security installed on any laptops or computers connected to the internet.

I hope this information helps you get the package you want Joanne.

Ask us a question

If you have a general switching or provider query please email us at ourexpert@homephonechoices.co.uk