Is it possible to enjoy Broadband internet without a phone line? Here’s all you need to know about getting the internet wherever you are, while shunning line rental charges, with the likes of satellite internet and Virgin Media’s Fibre Broadband.
One of the most important utilities these days has got to be a decent broadband connection. Alright, so you need electricity to run your router and so on, so that’s technically more important, but internet is definitely a close second. After all, who needs water when there are bottles of pop and baby wipes, right?
The problem with broadband is that you often need an arcane phone line first – plus a home phone subscription complete with those hidden line rental charges – just so you can access the precious broadband. Thankfully that’s not the case any longer.
There are a selection of companies now offering broadband lines and other internet connected options that run separate to phone lines. Since we’ve moved on to high-speed internet, which is now available in lots of place in the UK, there’s no need to piggyback on those slow old phones lines for data transmission.
Here are all of the best ways to get your broadband internet setup without getting locked into a costly line rental charge, for a home phone you’re likely to never use.
Read next: Everything you need to know about line rental
Broadband without a phone line: Virgin Media
One of the fastest broadband lines in the UK (for the price) is provided by Virgin Media, which has been pioneering fibre optic connections for quite some time. This fibre line is also what feeds Virgin Media TV, and it means you don’t need one of them crusty old phone connections to get internet.
Virgin Media currently offers its Super 50 Fibre Broadband with a 50Mbps speed, unlimited downloads and no phone line on a 12-month contract for £32.25 per month. And of course, there’s no line rental charges.
Broadband without a phone line: Hyperoptic
Hyperoptic is a little known company that also uses fibre optic lines to deliver stunning speeds. While Virgin Media tops out at 200Mbps speeds, you can get up to 1Gbps from Hyperoptic. Whatever option you go for, including a ‘basic’ 100Mbps line, your data download levels are unlimited.
Hyperoptic starts at a 20Mbps line with a yearly cost of £72 and goes up to £276 annually for the hefty 1GB line both on 12-month contracts at the time of publishing. You can go contract-free, but that’ll mean paying more for the privilege.
Broadband without a phone line: Relish
Relish is a London-specific offering, so if you’re based outside the capital you can skip this bit.
If you’re part of the Big Smoke, Relish offers broadband speeds over a 4G connection. This is super convenient and the company can even send you a router on the same day you order, if you’re in a serious rush and don’t mind paying more. All you need to do is plug in and get started.
While Relish downloads are unlimited, the 50Mbps top speed can vary depending on your connection level, based on mobile signal. There are single rolling monthly options as well as 12-month contracts which include a free router. Prices start at £20 per month, with no line rental charges based on the yearly contract.
Broadband without a phone line: Mobile data
To get your own mobile-powered hotspot that offers Wi-Fi over a 3G or 4G connection, there are lots of solid options. All you need is to get yourself a dongle and a SIM card, then you can connect to the ‘net on multiple devices wherever you roam, providing there’s a good enough signal.
Some mobile providers include:
O2 starts at £16 on a 24-month contract for 20GB of data on a 21Mbps connection over 4G.
Three charges £14 on a 24-month contract for 20GB of data over a 4G line at 40Mbps.
Vodafone, at £15, on a 24-month contract dishes out 5GB of data over a 4G connection that reaches up to 150Mbps.
EE dishes out, for £23 per month on a 24-month contract, 32GB per month at 60Mbps.
Broadband without a phone line: Satellite broadband
If you’re off the beaten path and can’t access fibre optic broadband or 3G/4G then one option for avoiding a phone line is satellite broadband. Going online via satellite has its issues but it’s actually affordable and can offer decent speeds in otherwise tough-to-connect regions.
The aptly-named Satellite Internet company offers 20Mbps lines from £10 per month, limited to 3GB of data per month. Prices vary for regions and data caps, plus there’s a hefty charge for the hardware at £245 on the cheapest package, not including a £40 installation fee.
While this offers fast downloads to pretty much anywhere, there is a limit on upload speeds, topping out at about 3Mbps. Also latency is an issue as the signal has so far to travel, so don’t expect to get quick enough responses for high-speed graphically intense gaming, for example. For most other uses it should do the job just fine.
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