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Most broadband connections still require a phone line to deliver internet access to our homes. Even though landline phones are dying out – and will be switched to digital by the end of 2025 – you may still need a broadband deal that includes phone services.
Bundling broadband and phone could provide convenience and save you money. Here’s how to compare broadband and phone packages and get the best deal for you.
Most broadband providers offer bundled phone deals – these are some of the best available right now.
NOW Super Fibre – our pick of the cheapest broadband and phone deals
Costing just £23 per month, NOW Broadband’s Super Fibre deal is affordable but still provides average speeds of 63Mbps. It includes free line rental and NOW Pay As You Use Calls.
BT Full Fibre 300 – Best broadband deal with a digital phone deal
BT’s Full Fibre 300 deal can be combined with a landline service. BT’s home phone service, named Digital Voice, is delivered through your broadband connection and provides clearer calls and the ability to block nuisance calls. This broadband and phone deal also comes with superfast download speeds reaching up to 300Mbps.
Vodafone Full Fibre 2– Best add-on landline deal
Vodafone’s Full Fibre 2 deal is ideal for streaming and gaming and offers average broadband speeds of 67Mbps. This deal, along with any of Vodafone’s broadband deals, can be combined with Vodafone Xtra – for an additional £14 per month, you can enjoy anytime calls for landline and mobile as well as Apple TV 4K for free.
Sky Superfast 80 – best phone and broadband deal with free line rental
Sky’s Superfast 80 deal boasts average broadband speeds of 61 Mbps and comes with free line rental. Sky’s Pay As You Talk service has no monthly cost, but you’ll pay a set amount for UK and international calls.
As mentioned, the best broadband and phone provider for you might be different to the needs of someone else. However, comparing customer service and satisfaction figures can help identify which are the providers to watch out for.
Below is a table of how the major broadband and phone providers compare:
Provider | Ofcom overall satisfaction with broadband service 2022 | Ofcom overall satisfaction with landline service 2022 | Trustpilot score |
---|---|---|---|
Plusnet | 89 per cent | 78 per cent €4.99 (£4.27) / month (€119.76/£102.48 up front) | 2.3 |
EE | 85 per cent | 90 per cent | 1.8 |
BT | 83 per cent | 78 per cent | 1.4 |
Vodafone | 83 per cent | 77 per cent | 4.4 |
Virgin Media | 81 per cent | 70 per cent | 1.7 |
Sky | 82 per cent | 77 per cent | 1.4 |
TalkTalk | 78 per cent | 73 per cent | 2.9 |
A broadband and phone deal gives you access to a broadband connection and a phone service – ideal for people who still make and receive landline calls.
The cost of line rental should be included in the overall monthly cost of your broadband and phone deal.
You can then normally choose the level of phone service you want. Often, the options will be something like the following:
There are a few reasons why would might want to consider broadband and phone contracts, including:
Some full fibre broadband providers may not offer a traditional landline package, but instead a digital phone bundle. This means your calls are made over the internet, via a home phone that is plugged into your router. Given the Openreach copper network is set to be turned off by the end of 2025, getting a digital phone now might be a sensible choice long-term.
Before taking out a combined broadband and phone deal, it’s always worth weighing up the pros and cons:
Broadband and phone contracts aren’t just limited to landlines. More and more broadband and mobile phone bundles are appearing on the market. These are often labeled as broadband and SIM deals. Sometimes the mobile SIM will be part of the package, and sometimes it will be available as an optional add-on.
These can provide great discounts if you need multiple mobile phone contracts, for example if you require a family plan, or if you’re looking for a bigger bundle that includes TV as well as broadband and SIM.
Currently the following providers offer broadband and SIM bundles:
To find the best broadband and landline deal, you need to work out what ‘best’ looks like for your household. Every home will have different broadband and home phone needs, so you should bear that in mind when you’re comparing deals.
The main factor that will decide what phone and broadband deal you can get is the broadband availability in your area. To check which deals are available to you, use our postcode checker. This will filter out any deals you can’t access.
Compare the price of deals and consider the overall cost of the package. That’s not just the overall price per month, but any costs associated with the phone part of your package specifically. For example, can you pay extra to boost the amount of free minutes you receive? What is the price per minute? And what are the charges for international calls?
Broadband speed is one of the most important factors of any broadband deal. Providers will usually advertise the average download speed of a plan in megabits per second (Mbps).
Things to consider:
Unless you have a fully pay-as-you-go phone package, your deal will outline when you can make free calls, for how long, and to which numbers.
Here’s what to look for:
While almost all broadband packages now include unlimited data, it is always worth checking beforehand, so you don’t get charged for going over your allowance.
You should always be on the lookout for any set-up costs or installation fees associated with your phone and broadband deal. This could include postage and packaging for your new router, or the cost of an engineer coming to install a new line.
The length of your contract will play a role in determining its cost. Most of the time, for example, if you sign up for a 24-month contract, it will be cheaper per month than the 18-month option.
Although it’s not the most important thing to consider, any sign-up perks or bonuses on offer can help you decide between two comparable broadband and phone deals.
If you don’t use a landline, there are broadband-only deals you can go for instead. This may be cheaper than getting a bundled broadband and phone contract.
Often broadband-only deals will be full-fibre, so you may be able to benefit from faster download speeds. However, full fibre is currently only available to 52 per cent of households in the UK.
It is possible to get an unlimited broadband and phone package. This means you would have unlimited data usage for your broadband, and unlimited calls using your landline.
While most broadband deals are now unlimited, you will likely need to pay more for an unlimited phone package than you would one with more restrictive free call periods.
Some broadband connections require a phone line to deliver internet to your home. Most broadband connections use the copper phone line network, so even if you don’t use your landline to make and receive calls you may still need a broadband and phone deal. If you live in a rural area which is solely reliant on the copper network, it’s more than likely you will need a phone line to connect to the internet.
The only type of broadband which doesn’t require a phone line is fibre broadband – currently only available to just over half (52 per cent) UK.
Before signing up for any internet contract, it’s important to research broadband in your area to find out what’s available to you.