Any DSL broadband providers where I don't need to take out a landline phone contract too?

[Hades]

I have BT Broadband but I never use my landline. Like many households everyone has their own mobile. I have several mobile phones myself (personal and work) and also a dedicated Skype number that acts like a genuine phone on any online device.I simply don't need a landline and haven't used it in years. Without changing to a fibre provider such as Virgin is there any broadband provider I could switch to just for broadband and not have to pay for a landline? Or is someone like Virgin my only option? Thanks.

 

[Hades]

Thanks. I suspected as much. 4G would be an option if it weren't for my son loving online gaming. Apart from the ping I was getting comparable upload/download speeds between my Three 4G phone and my BT Broadband (but ping sucks).

Most people I know tend to just leave their landlines unplugged. It feels like a bit of a scam to insist on charging for one.

 

[Hades]

You're using the line, just not for voice. I expect you'd want Openreach to come out and fix it when there's a fault?

I pay for broadband... and line rental. I'd be happy to increase the broadband price slightly and lose the line rental. There is a cost to Openreach running voice connections which I am not using.

 

[Hades]

TalkTalk will do you FTTC for £25.45 per month including the phone line, just pretend you're not paying line rental if it makes you feel better.

Thanks.

Unfortunately Talk Talk is one company I will never use again. I just can't face the problems and absolute lack of customer service. I'd rather pay quite a bit more with someone else.

 

[Hades]

You aren't paying Openreach, your ISP is.

The Openreach charges are actually quite reasonable, the markup the ISPs put on it isn't. A result of years of them trying to make their broadband look cheaper by overcharging for line rental.

Noted.

 

[Hades]

It will change in the future when the broadband connection is the primary service, and any telephone line is laid on the top as VoIP, but it takes forever for that sort of stuff to get through Ofcom.

Don’t expect the price to change by any meaningful amount though.

True.

This is exactly why I wanted broadband only. Everything I use inside the house is already delivered over IP.

 

[Hades]

@Rroff I get about 35ms ping on 4G. But if I were forced to play on it then I would. I come from an era when anything less than 100ms got us called LPB's on public servers

 

[Hades]

You say you don't use the line. But you're using it 24/7 if you have broadband.

I think people are misunderstanding me or perhaps I have not explained it well enough. I am happy to pay for a line used by broadband but I have no need for the voice part of the service. Providing will not be a 'no cost option' for the provider. It will cost them something to provide. There is hardware and software that the vendor has to pay specific to voice calls. I do not need that. Most people do not need that.