Broadband deals with a landline: what you are actually buying now

Most broadband deals still include a phone service by default, so you rarely have to ask for one. What has changed is what arrives: a number and free incoming calls delivered through your router rather than a copper line, with outgoing calls charged at 9 to 15p a minute unless you add a bundle at £6 to £10 a month. By 31 January 2027 that is true of every UK landline, which means every contract length on sale today except a rolling one will still be running when the old phone network is switched off. This page shows what a landline genuinely costs in 2026, what to check before you sign, and the care-alarm questions that matter more than any of it.

Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith, Head of Editorial at BroadbandSwitch.uk
Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith Head of Editorial · wrote this guide
Adrian James, Broadband Editor at BroadbandSwitch.uk
Adrian James Broadband Editor · reviewed it
First published . Last updated . Due for review by . Prices and dates as published at 6 August 2026. How we rank deals · Corrections log
Straight to the deals with a phone service

Nearly every fixed-line deal at your address includes a phone service of some kind, so the real comparison is what the calls cost on top. Line rental is also changing through 2026: the copper price rise tracker sets out each increase.

Independent and free. Or jump to the deals with a landline.
The switch-off timeline: how much of your contract runs on a digital line? Counts forward from today against 31 January 2027, when the old copper phone network is retired. Set the term you are considering, or how long is left on the deal you already have.
The deal
Does either apply?
Counting from today How your contract sits against the switch-off appears here.
Runs in your browser and stores nothing. The switch-off affects the phone service, not your broadband, and your provider should contact you before moving you. The Digital Voice guide covers the change in full and the switch-off checker covers your specific line.
  • Usually freea number and inbound calls, with most broadband
  • 9 to 15pa minute for outbound calls without a bundle
  • £6 to £10a month for inclusive UK calls, if you need them
  • 31 Jan 2027when every UK landline becomes digital
The word has quietly changed meaning

What a landline means in 2026

When people search for broadband with a landline they usually mean one of three things: a phone number that friends and family already have, the ability to receive calls on a handset in the hall, or the ability to make them. The first two now come free with most broadband packages, delivered as Digital Voice through the router rather than over a copper pair. Only the third still costs anything, and only if you make enough calls to justify a bundle.

What a landline costs in 2026: a number and inbound calls free with most broadband, outbound calls at 9 to 15p a minute with no bundle, evenings and weekends inclusive at £3 to £5 a month, anytime UK inclusive at £6 to £10, and anytime plus mobiles and international at £10 to £15.
Figure 1. The line is included; the minutes are the product. Figures as published across this site, August 2026.
  • A number and inbound calls · freeIncluded with most broadband packages from the major providers. Your existing handset plugs into the router rather than the wall socket and works as normal.
  • Outbound calls, pay per minute · 9 to 15pThe default if you add nothing. For a household making a handful of calls a month this is comfortably cheaper than any bundle.
  • Evenings and weekends inclusive · £3 to £5Inclusive UK landline calls after 7pm and at weekends, with weekday daytime still charged. Suits people who ring relatives in the evening.
  • Anytime UK inclusive · £6 to £10The classic paid bundle, with UK landline calls inclusive at any hour and mobiles usually still charged separately unless the plan is upgraded.
  • Anytime plus mobiles and international · £10 to £15Adds UK mobile calls and a named list of international destinations, typically Ireland, Europe and the USA. Worth it only if your regular numbers are on the list.

The broadband and phone page works the break-even properly: a paid bundle only pays for itself above roughly 100 outbound landline minutes a month, and below that most households save £72 to £120 a year by leaving it off.

Who genuinely wants one

Who a landline deal suits

  • Households that still use a landline for callsIf the handset in the hall gets daily use, especially for long calls, the inclusive bundles above start to earn their place. Work out your real monthly minutes before choosing one.Suits you if
  • People who need to keep an existing numberNumber porting is widely supported: you request it during the switch, the new provider takes the number over, and it typically completes within a few days. The number porting guide covers the process.Suits you if
  • Homes on Openreach part-fibre connectionsAn FTTC connection runs over the same copper pair that carried the phone service, so a landline has traditionally come as part of the package at these addresses. What arrives is increasingly Digital Voice regardless.Suits you if
  • Households where someone prefers a handsetOlder relatives especially often want a familiar phone on a familiar table rather than a mobile, and that is a perfectly good reason to keep a landline whatever the arithmetic says. The elderly relative guide covers the wider conversation.Suits you if
The date that reshapes the decision

Every contract on sale today outlives the copper network

The old analogue phone network is retired on 31 January 2027, and from then every UK landline runs as digital voice over a broadband connection. That date is closer than most contract lengths: a 12-month deal signed now has about six months of its life on the other side of it, an 18-month deal about twelve, and a 24-month deal about eighteen. Only a rolling monthly deal finishes before the change.

Timeline of contracts starting August 2026 against the 31 January 2027 switch-off: a 1-month rolling deal ends before it, a 12-month deal has 6 months running after it, an 18-month deal 12 months, and a 24-month deal 18 months.
Figure 2. Contract lengths against the switch-off, drawn from 6 August 2026. The timeline tool above counts from today's date instead.

This is not a reason to avoid signing, and nothing breaks on the day: your broadband is unaffected, your number moves with you, and providers contact customers before migrating them. It is a reason to ask one extra question at the point of sale, which is whether the phone service you are buying is already digital, because if it is then the switch-off is simply not your problem. The copper switch-off guide has the full timeline and the switch-off checker covers your own line.

Six checks before you sign

What to check before choosing a landline deal

  1. Whether calls are included or charged per minuteThe single most important line in the basket. Included means a bundle you are paying £6 to £10 a month for; charged per minute means 9 to 15p and no commitment, which is cheaper for most households.
  2. Whether your number can be ported to the new providerUsually yes, and requested during the switch rather than afterwards. Confirm it before you order rather than assuming, particularly if the number has been in the family for decades.
  3. Whether a full fibre option removes the need for a traditional lineFull fibre carries no copper phone service at all, so the voice side is digital from day one and the switch-off never applies to you. Compare full fibre deals at your address before defaulting to part-fibre.
  4. The total cost including any call bolt-onsMonthly price, plus setup, plus the call bundle across the whole term. A £6 bundle on a 24-month contract is £144 that never appears on the headline.
  5. Any fair-use cap on inclusive callsMost anytime bundles cut calls at 60 or 70 minutes, after which you redial and the timer resets. Long daily calls, which is exactly the profile that buys these bundles, can trip it repeatedly.
  6. Whether the phone service is already digitalIf it is, the 2027 switch-off is a non-event for you. If it is not, ask when the provider plans to migrate the line and what they will supply if anyone in the household is vulnerable.
The comparison most people skip

The real-cost check

Before choosing a bundle for its call features, compare total contract cost against a broadband-only deal plus your existing calling method. In many cases, mobile plans or VoIP services offer better value than landline call bundles, because most households already pay for inclusive mobile minutes they are not using. Line rental is also changing through 2026, and the copper price rise tracker sets out each increase.

  • Count the minutes, not the feelingThree months of bills, outbound only, because inbound is free. Under roughly 100 minutes a month the pay-per-minute option wins, and most UK households are well under it.
  • Check what your mobile already includesIf everyone in the house has inclusive mobile minutes, a landline call bundle is buying something you own twice. That is the commonest quiet waste on this page.
  • Price the bundle across the whole term£6 to £10 a month is £144 to £240 across 24 months, which is real money against a saving of £72 to £120 a year from simply not taking it.
  • Then compare like for likeBroadband-only plus your current calling habits, against the bundled deal, on total contract cost. See broadband-only deals and how we compare deals.
This part matters more than the price

Care alarms, pendants and power cuts

If anyone in the household relies on a care alarm, a telehealth pendant or a monitored security system, the phone service is not a billing question, and it deserves checking before anything else on this page.

  • Check the device with its manufacturerMany newer care alarms and telehealth units work on digital voice, while older models built for the analogue network may not work reliably. Check before switching, not after, and the care alarm compatibility guide covers what to ask.
  • Tell the provider about the alarmSaying so flags the household as potentially vulnerable, which changes how the migration is handled and what support is offered. It is a two-minute conversation that is easy to skip and expensive to skip.
  • Ask for a battery backup unitA digital line runs through the router, so it stops in a mains failure, where the old analogue line was powered from the exchange. Providers typically supply battery backup units to vulnerable customers, but ask explicitly rather than assuming.
  • Keep a charged mobile as the fallbackWhatever else is arranged, a mobile with signal remains the sensible backup for any household during a power cut, and it costs nothing to plan for.
Live · deals including a phone service

Compare broadband deals with a landline at your postcode

Enter your postcode to see address-level availability, with monthly price, contract length, average speed and stated April rise amounts in pounds and pence on each card. Availability is postcode and address specific, so choose your exact address in the widget where prompted, and check whether inclusive calls are part of the package or a paid extra on top.

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Decided the calls are not worth paying for? Switching without a landline covers that route, and broadband-only deals are usually where the money is.

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Related routes

Common questions

Broadband with a landline, asked and answered

Do broadband deals still include a landline?

Most do include a phone service by default, so you rarely have to ask for one, but what arrives is a digital phone service delivered through your router rather than a traditional copper line. That gives you a number and free incoming calls, with outgoing calls charged at 9 to 15p a minute unless you add an inclusive bundle at £6 to £10 a month.

Are calls included or charged separately?

Charged separately, in most cases: the phone service is included but the minutes are not, so outbound calls cost per minute until you add a call plan. Evenings and weekends bundles run £3 to £5 a month, anytime UK inclusive £6 to £10, and anytime plus mobiles and international £10 to £15, which is worth checking against what you actually spend on calls today.

Can I keep my existing phone number?

Usually yes. UK landline number porting is widely supported, you request the port during the switch, the new provider takes the number over, and it typically completes within a few days. Your existing handset generally works too, plugged into the router rather than the wall socket.

What happens to my landline on 31 January 2027?

The old analogue phone network is retired and every UK landline runs as digital voice over broadband instead. Your broadband is unaffected, your number stays yours, and your provider should contact you before migrating the line. Because every contract length on sale today except a rolling one runs past that date, it is worth asking at the point of sale whether the service you are buying is already digital.

Does a landline still need a separate line rental charge?

Not as a separate bill in most packages, since line rental is generally folded into the monthly broadband price rather than itemised. Line rental costs are changing through 2026 though, and the copper price rise tracker on this site sets out each increase, so it is worth checking whether the rise applies to your package before you renew.

Is a landline call bundle worth the money?

Only above roughly 100 outbound landline minutes a month. Below that, paying per minute costs less than a £6 to £10 bundle, and most UK households save £72 to £120 a year by not taking one. Check three months of bills for your real outbound minutes, and remember that inclusive mobile minutes you already pay for may cover the same calls.

Will my landline work in a power cut?

Not once it is digital, because the service runs through your router and therefore depends on mains electricity, where the old analogue line was powered from the exchange. Providers typically supply a battery backup unit to vulnerable customers, so request one explicitly if anyone in the household needs it, and keep a charged mobile as the general fallback.

Do I need a landline for FTTC broadband?

An FTTC connection runs over the same copper pair that has traditionally carried the phone service, which is why a landline has usually come as part of the package at these addresses. Broadband-only packages are widely sold across the market, so check what your specific deal includes rather than assuming, and note that full fibre removes the copper phone side entirely.

About this guide. Written by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith and reviewed by Adrian James, with every price and date stated as published at 6 August 2026, and the timeline tool counting from your own device clock against a switch-off date held in the page markup. Call plan inclusions, line rental treatment and care device compatibility all vary by provider and by device, so verify in the provider's own terms and with device manufacturers before ordering, particularly where anyone in the household relies on a care alarm or telehealth equipment. We earn commission when you order through the comparison, which never changes the price you pay: see how we rank deals, the editorial policy, the methodology and trust hub and the affiliate disclosure, or submit a correction and a human will read it.

References

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