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Most broadband connections still require a phone line to deliver internet access to our homes. Even though landline phones 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.
Monthly cost may rise during contract
We surveyed over 2,000 broadband customers in the UK1 to better understand how they feel about their broadband services. We asked them 20 questions regarding their current broadband provider including how they felt about the speeds they receive, the pricing of their plan, the value for money they are getting and their overall satisfaction.
Below you can see how broadband and phone providers stacked up.
| Broadband provider | Overall customer satisfaction | Broadband speed | Customer service | Reliability | Good value for money |
| EE | 90% | 66% | 73% | 84% | 67% |
| BT | 85% | 62% | 61% | 87% | 59% |
| Sky | 82% | 62% | 64% | 81% | 57% |
| Virgin Media | 83% | 56% | 54% | 79% | 58% |
| TalkTalk | 78% | 57% | 53% | 80% | 59% |
| Vodafone | 86% | 60% | 69% | 85% | 76% |
| Plusnet | 88% | 53% | 68% | 83% | 74% |
A broadband and phone deal gives you access to a broadband connection and a phone service, which is ideal for people who still make and receive landline calls.
The cost of renting a line should be included in the monthly cost of your broadband and phone deal, and you can choose the kind of phone contract you want. The options will likely include the following:
There are a few reasons why would might want to consider combined broadband and phone contracts, including:
Some full fibre broadband providers may offer a digital phone bundle instead of traditional landline packages. 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 is a sensible choice for the long term.
57 per cent of broadband customers from our survey consider bundled services to be an important factor when choosing their current broadband provider.
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 you. Every household has 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 what’s available in your area. Use our postcode checker to check what deals are available in your area.
When comparing the price of deals, you should consider the overall cost of the package. That’s not just the 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?
In our survey, we asked over 2,000 people how they would rate their current broadband provider in terms of value for money. Vodafone was the clear winner, with 76 per cent of respondents rating the service Excellent or Good.
Broadband speed
Broadband speed is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a broadband deal. Providers will usually advertise the average download speed of a plan in megabits per second (Mbps).
You should consider the following:
Unless you have a 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.
Customer service, though not as crucial as speed or price, should be considered when choosing the right provider for you.
It can be time-consuming doing the research, and reading online reviews doesn’t always build up a clear picture of a company’s level of customer service.
Our survey asked over 2,000 broadband customers if they were satisfied with their current provider’s customer service. The table below features shows the broadband and phone providers ranked according to their customers’ satisfaction when it comes to customer service.
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 (57 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.
Yes, you can still use a landline phone with a full fibre broadband. The only difference is, your landline won’t run on the old copper wire network. Instead, the service is provided by fibre cables which offer a more stable and reliable connection.
