Broadband Only Deals
What are Broadband Only Deals?
Have you used a landline lately? During the early days, home phones are a necessity in every home. Sometimes it is even the cause of most arguments in families. But nowadays most people connect with their loved ones through their smartphones. They prefer to use WhatsApp, Facebook, and other apps for communication.
However, even if we are not using home phones anymore, most of us are still paying for these landlines since they are considered as part of our broadband packages. But do you know why? It’s because your Broadband provider will use the phone line for delivering broadband to your home.
The cost for the landline is already included in your monthly subscription fee for your broadband. This means that you cannot isolate your phone line even if you are not using it. However, there is still a possibility that you can obtain broadband even if you do not have a landline. But you will have to do a lot of shopping.
Is it much cheaper to choose a broadband that has no landline? The reason why consumers need to pay for the landline cost is because the copper wire used for delivering broadband is owned by BT Openreach. Your broadband will require active phone line, that is why your broadband package includes a fee for the line rental.
As of the moment, the only UK provider which offers broadband without using any landline is Virgin Media. It’s because they are using their own fibre network which is different from BT’s. However, even if Virgin Media offers a landline-free broadband, it does not mean that they have the cheapest broadband package.
The fact is, Virgin Media broadband packages are more expensive regardless if you choose with or without a landline. Hence, you have to think about it thoroughly before choosing a package.
Guide to Broadband Only Deals
There are some internet providers which claim that they are offering ‘broadband-only’ deals but actually there is no truth to this. They will even claim that you don’t have to pay for the landline cost. But the fact is you don’t have to pay them for the landline cost. Instead, you have to pay other companies for instance, BT Openreach.
Cable Broadband
Rather than using landline for delivering broadband service, Virgin Media is using cable broadband. If you have noticed triangular plates with the acronym CATV on the place where you are living, then there is a greater chance that you can avail Virgin Media’s cable broadband. However, if you really want to make sure, then you can verify on Virgin Media’s website by simply entering your postcode.
Virgin Media’s “broadband only” deals starts at £37 a month or £479 for the whole year inclusive of the activation fee. This package has an average speed of 50Mbps. For its fastest speed of 350Mbps, the price is £40 a month or £515 for the entire year including the activation fee. Take note that this price is only for the first year of subscription.
These broadband packages do not require a landline, nevertheless if you choose to sign up for one, then you will have to pay less. For instance, the cheapest Virgin Medial broadband + phone line package is only £28 per month. But this price is only for the first year, for the succeeding years, the price will increase to £44 per month.
If we compare it to Plusnet’s unlimited Fibre package with an average speed of 36Mbps, the price is only £24.50 per month for an 18-month contract. The total price for the first 18 months is £446 including the line rental and the activation fee of £5. For the first 12 months, you only have to pay a total amount of £299. This is actually much cheaper compared to Virgin Media’s best deal.
Other Options
One of the most flexible ways of accessing the internet is through mobile broadband since it can be used wherever you are. But you also need to understand the fact that 4G may not be available anywhere. When this happens, you will have to settle for a slower 3G or even worse. The brand new 5G is probably the most appropriate substitute for your home broadband. The drawback is that it has an extremely limited coverage. Hence, there are greater chances that this is not available in your area.