The sensible default · Saves £10 to £20 a month · No bundled extras you pay twice for

Broadband-only deals: the sensible default for most UK households

For most UK households in 2026, broadband-only is not the budget option: it is the smart one. Mobile has replaced landline calls, streaming services have replaced traditional TV, and bundled packages often duplicate what households already pay for separately. The typical saving from unbundling runs £10 to £20 a month, or £120 to £240 a year, and on this page's own five household profiles, four of the five come out ahead. This page shows where broadband-only genuinely wins, the specific profiles where a bundle still makes sense, and what the 2027 PSTN switch-off means for readers who still want a landline.

Adrian James, Broadband Editor at BroadbandSwitch.uk
Adrian James Broadband Editor · wrote this guide
Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith, Head of Editorial at BroadbandSwitch.uk
Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith Head of Editorial · reviewed it
First published . Last updated . Due for review by . Prices and figures as published at 8 August 2026. How we rank deals · Corrections log
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Quick answer. UK broadband-only deals typically cost £22 to £42 a month, depending on speed. Compared with a broadband-plus-TV-plus-phone bundle from the same provider, expect to save £10 to £20 a month, or £120 to £240 a year. The saving is real for most UK households because mobile calls replace the landline, and Netflix, Disney+, iPlayer and similar services replace bundled TV. A bundle still wins for heavy Sky Sports or Sky Cinema watchers, households with care alarms that need a landline, and the occasional promotional bundle where the provider effectively subsidises broadband to hook you on TV.

The unbundling projector: what would it be worth to you? Pick the household closest to yours, then put your own bill in. The figures behind each profile are the published ones from the comparison further down this page. Which of these is closest to your household?
Your own numbers
How to read it
Pick your household The monthly, yearly and full-term difference appears here.
Runs in your browser and stores nothing. Profile figures are representative and count the streaming you already pay for on both sides, so they measure what actually changes. Your own deals will differ, and the live comparison below shows real prices at your address.
  • £22 to £42typical UK monthly range for broadband-only
  • £10 to £20typical monthly saving against a bundle
  • 4 of 5common UK profiles where unbundling wins
  • 31 Jan 2027PSTN switch-off, the Digital Voice era
Six things, before you compare

What to know first

  • You probably already pay for Netflix and Disney+If your household has streaming subscriptions, bundled TV packages mostly duplicate what you already watch. Unbundling lets you keep only what you use.The duplication
  • Mobile has replaced landline calls for most peopleInclusive UK mobile minutes, plus WhatsApp, FaceTime, Teams and other apps, cover nearly all personal calls. Paying £6 to £10 a month for a landline most households never use is money wasted.The habit shift
  • Simpler switching at renewalOnly one service is tied to your contract, so One Touch Switch is faster and there is no TV box to return or phone number to co-ordinate when you change provider.Less friction
  • Transparent pricing, easier to compareBundles make like-for-like comparison hard because every provider bundles different things. Broadband-only strips it back to one number a month that you can genuinely compare across UK providers.One number
  • Digital Voice is included when you need phoneBroadband-only increasingly includes Digital Voice, calls over your router, at no extra cost. You can still have a phone number without paying for a bundled phone package.Phone, free
  • Bundles still win in specific casesHeavy Sky Sports or Sky Cinema watchers, households with care alarms that need a traditional landline, or people with specific telehealth devices: bundles can genuinely be cheaper here.The exceptions
A definition worth being precise about

What broadband-only actually means in 2026

A broadband-only deal gives you an internet connection and the router to use it, without a bundled TV package, without an active landline service, and without bolt-on extras. You pay one monthly price for one service. Typical UK speeds range from around 35 Mbps on FTTC up to 1 Gbps and beyond on full fibre, and monthly prices run £22 to £42 depending on speed and provider.

One nuance matters in 2026 and after: broadband-only does not necessarily mean no phone service at all. Many UK broadband packages now include Digital Voice at no extra cost. That is phone calls over your broadband router, using a standard handset plugged into the router rather than a wall socket. Readers who want to keep a phone number can almost always do so on a broadband-only plan without moving to a bundled phone package. The PSTN switch-off section below has the full story.

What broadband-only keeps: the same connection, speeds and technology, a free phone number via Digital Voice from BT, Sky, Virgin Media and Vodafone, free incoming calls, number porting and social tariff eligibility at £12 to £20. What it drops: a duplicated TV package, a paid call bundle at £6 to £10 a month, the TV box and its return, second minimum terms, and a price you cannot compare.
Figure 1. Broadband-only is not a lesser grade of service: the connection is identical. As published, August 2026.

What broadband-only is not: it is not a cheaper or worse version of bundled broadband. The speed, the technology, whether FTTP, FTTC or cable, and the underlying service are identical to what you get in a bundle. The only difference is what you choose to pay for alongside it.

Four shifts, one reversal

Why broadband-only is the sensible default

The standard UK comparison-site framing treats broadband-only as the budget option and bundles as the premium one. That framing made sense in 2010, when landline calls were still common and most households watched linear TV. In 2026, for most UK households, the framing is upside-down. Four specific shifts have made broadband-only the rational default.

  • Mobile has displaced landline callsUK mobile ownership is near-universal and inclusive minutes are standard on almost every tariff. Between that, WhatsApp, FaceTime, Teams and similar apps, most households make essentially all their calls without touching a landline for months at a time.Shift one
  • Streaming has displaced linear TVNetflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX cover the vast majority of UK viewing for most households. A bundled TV package often duplicates shows you can already watch elsewhere, at extra cost every month.Shift two
  • Transparent pricing, easier to switchBundles obscure what you are paying for what. Broadband-only gives you one price you can compare like for like across every UK provider, and when your contract ends, One Touch Switch is simpler with nothing else tied in.Shift three
  • Faster setup, fewer moving partsBroadband-only orders generally activate faster than bundles because there is no second service to configure or engineer-install. For FTTP you still get the fibre engineer; for FTTC and cable, setup is usually plug-and-play.Shift four
Five profiles, both columns

The true cost comparison across five UK households

The honest comparison between broadband-only and bundled is not one number against another: it depends on what the household actually watches, who they call, and what they already subscribe to. Below are five common UK household profiles with representative monthly costs. Streaming subscriptions the household already pays for appear on both sides and cancel out, so what you are seeing is what actually changes if you pick one route over the other.

Five UK household profiles compared monthly: light TV mobile-first £48 bundled against £28 broadband-only saving £20; a Netflix and Disney+ family of four £52 against £30 saving £22; an occasional sports viewer £55 against £42 saving £13; a heavy Sky Sports and Cinema user £65 against £75 where the bundle wins by £10; and a landline-dependent household £45 against £32 saving £13.
Figure 2. Four of the five profiles come out ahead unbundled. Representative monthly figures as published on this page, August 2026.
  • Light TV, mobile-first · young coupleBundled £48 a month for broadband, TV and phone. Broadband-only £28 a month with streaming already paid for. Broadband-only wins, saving £20 a month.
  • Netflix and Disney+ household · family of fourBundled £52 a month for broadband and TV with duplicated content. Broadband-only £30 a month keeping the subscriptions already held. Broadband-only wins, saving £22 a month.
  • Occasional sports viewer · NOW passesBundled £55 a month for broadband, TV and an occasional sports pass. Broadband-only £42 a month with a NOW Sports month bought as needed. Broadband-only wins, saving £13 a month.
  • Heavy Sky Sports and Cinema userBundled £65 a month for the Sky bundle including its broadband discount. Broadband-only £75 a month with Sky Stream at full price. The bundle wins here, saving £10 a month.
  • Landline-dependent · elderly relative, care alarmBundled £45 a month for broadband and a traditional phone line. Broadband-only £32 a month with Digital Voice included. Broadband-only wins, saving £13 a month, but check the alarm first.

The pattern is clear: for four of these five common UK profiles, broadband-only saves £13 to £22 a month, or £156 to £264 a year. Only the heavy Sky user benefits from a bundle, because Sky actively discounts broadband when you take their TV package to keep you on the platform. For every other household, unbundling is straightforward money back. Example figures are representative and your specific deals may differ, so run the same bundled-against-broadband-only-plus-subscriptions-I-already-have calculation with the real numbers from the comparison below.

The most common UK broadband mistake is bundling TV you already pay for through streaming services. Every month, millions of UK households pay twice for the same content. Broadband-only fixes that in one decision.

Three profiles where it does not

When a bundle still genuinely wins

The page would not be honest if it claimed broadband-only always wins. Three specific profiles get genuine value from a bundle, and readers who recognise themselves should stop here and switch to a more appropriate page.

  • Heavy Sky Sports or Sky Cinema viewerSky actively discounts broadband when you take their TV package, effectively subsidising the connection to retain you. For households who would buy Sky TV anyway, bundling saves £10 to £15 a month against buying broadband and Sky Stream separately. See Sky TV deals.Profile one
  • Care alarms or telehealth needing a traditional landlineSome legacy care alarms, telehealth devices and security systems were designed for analogue landlines and may not work reliably with Digital Voice. If you have one, a traditional phone line bundle, while it still exists, can be the safer choice. See the care alarm compatibility guide and the PSTN section below.Profile two
  • Older household relying on a landline dailySome elderly relatives genuinely prefer a traditional home phone for daily calls and may not use mobile or streaming at all. Here, a broadband-plus-phone bundle gives a familiar experience and an inclusive-calls phone line without fuss. See the switching for elderly relatives guide.Profile three
Both columns, honestly

Decision matrix: broadband-only or bundle?

Assuming both options are available at your address, these patterns reliably predict the right call.

  1. Choose broadband-only ifYou already subscribe to Netflix, Disney+ or similar streaming services; the household uses mobile phones for almost all personal calls; you do not watch Sky Sports or Sky Cinema regularly enough to justify a TV subscription; you want transparent pricing that is easy to compare and switch at renewal; you only need occasional sports or premium TV, which NOW passes cover ad hoc; you want a phone number via Digital Voice but not a paid phone bundle; or you are a renter, student or mover who values flexibility over bundled extras.
  2. Consider a bundle ifYou are a heavy Sky Sports or Sky Cinema viewer and would buy it anyway, in which case see broadband and TV deals; your household has a care alarm or telehealth device requiring a traditional landline, or an elderly relative relies on landline calls daily, in which case see broadband and phone deals; you want a one price, everything included feel and do not mind paying a little more; your specific provider runs a bundle where the TV discount outweighs the duplicated content; or you value a unified bill and a single point of contact across multiple services.

If you fall between these profiles, start with broadband-only and add services only when you need them. It is easier to add than remove, and bundles often have minimum terms on the TV or phone component that lock you in independently of the broadband term.

Five checks before you commit

What to check before ordering broadband-only

  1. List your actual TV viewing habitsIf you mainly watch Netflix, Disney+, iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 and YouTube, broadband-only is comfortably the right choice. If you watch live Sky Sports most weekends or Sky Cinema regularly, look at broadband and TV deals instead.
  2. Check whether anyone in the household uses the landlineIf nobody has made a landline call in the last three months, you do not need a bundled phone. If an elderly household member uses it daily, a broadband-only package with Digital Voice included is usually enough, and it is worth verifying the provider includes Digital Voice at no cost.
  3. Audit any connected device that needs a landlineCare alarms, telehealth pendants, monitored security systems, older fax machines and some medical devices. See the care alarm compatibility guide, and if you have any of these, confirm Digital Voice compatibility with the device manufacturer before switching.
  4. Compare broadband-only prices across providers at your postcodePrices vary significantly by address. Altnets such as Hyperoptic, Community Fibre, Gigaclear and YouFibre often beat mainstream broadband-only prices where they serve, and the live comparison below shows what is actually available.
  5. Check social tariff eligibility firstSeveral UK social tariffs are broadband-only and priced £12 to £20 a month for eligible households on qualifying benefits. If anyone in your household qualifies, check social tariff options before committing to a standard broadband-only deal.
31 January 2027

PSTN switch-off: what it means for landlines

The UK's traditional analogue phone network is scheduled to be switched off on 31 January 2027. After that date, every landline call in the UK travels over broadband infrastructure, typically via Digital Voice, which is a phone call routed through your broadband router rather than a dedicated copper wire to your wall socket. For broadband-only customers, this is good news, and three specific implications matter.

  • Digital Voice is usually included freeMajor UK providers, including BT, Sky, Virgin Media and Vodafone, now bundle Digital Voice at no extra cost with their broadband plans. You can keep your phone number and make and receive calls from a standard handset plugged into your router.Implication one
  • Bundled phone packages are increasingly obsoleteThe traditional add-a-landline-for-£6-to-£10-a-month bundle is fading out because Digital Voice does the same thing free. Paying for a separate phone package makes decreasing sense as the switch-off approaches, and the broadband and phone page works the break-even properly.Implication two
  • Check devices that depend on traditional phone linesSome care alarms, security systems, fax machines and telehealth devices were designed for analogue PSTN and may not work reliably with Digital Voice. Check with the device manufacturer before switching. See the compatibility guide and Digital Voice explained.Implication three

The net effect: broadband-only in 2026 often includes phone service via Digital Voice at no extra cost, which makes it a strictly better deal than a traditional broadband-plus-phone bundle for most households. The only exceptions are the device-compatibility edge cases above. Because every contract length on sale today except a rolling one runs past the switch-off, the landline page is worth a look if you want to see where your own contract falls.

Live · filtered to broadband-only packages

Live broadband-only deals at your postcode

Live deals below are UK broadband-only packages, with no bundled TV or paid phone line. Enter your postcode for availability at your address, sorted by monthly price, low to high. Digital Voice is typically included free with most UK providers, so confirm in the provider's own terms if you need phone service.

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Broadband-only is available from almost every UK provider and altnet. Many broadband-only deals run on altnets, so you can track ownership on our altnet consolidation tracker. The full comparison tool also shows bundled alternatives if you want to double-check that a bundle is not genuinely cheaper for your household.

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Related ways to compare

Common questions

Broadband-only, asked and answered

Is broadband-only actually cheaper than a bundle?

For most UK households, yes. The typical saving is £10 to £20 a month, or £120 to £240 a year, because bundled packages often duplicate streaming services and landline usage you have elsewhere. Exceptions exist: heavy Sky Sports or Sky Cinema users, households with landline-dependent care devices, and older relatives who use the phone daily. The five-profile comparison on this page shows the pattern, with four of the five saving £13 to £22 a month.

Can I still have a phone number on a broadband-only deal?

Yes, usually at no extra cost. Major UK providers now include Digital Voice, which is phone calls over your broadband router, free with most broadband plans. You plug a standard handset into the router and use it as a normal phone, and your old landline number can usually be transferred to Digital Voice when you switch. See our Digital Voice guide.

Will my care alarm or security system work on broadband-only with Digital Voice?

Maybe, depending on the specific device. Some newer care alarms and security systems are Digital Voice compatible, while some older models were designed for analogue PSTN and may not work reliably. Always check with the device manufacturer before switching. The PSTN switch-off on 31 January 2027 means this matters for everyone eventually, and our compatibility guide covers the checks.

Is the speed or reliability different from bundled broadband?

No. The underlying broadband connection is identical: the same speeds, the same technology, whether FTTP, FTTC, cable or 4G and 5G, and the same reliability. Whether you bundle TV and phone on top makes no difference to the broadband itself. The saving comes entirely from removing extras you were paying for but not fully using.

Can I get full fibre on broadband-only?

Yes, on every UK FTTP network that serves your address. Major providers including BT, Sky, Virgin Media and Vodafone, and altnets including Hyperoptic, Community Fibre, Gigaclear, YouFibre, Zen, BeFibre, Brsk and Toob, all offer broadband-only FTTP options. The live comparison on this page shows availability at your postcode. See also the full fibre deals page.

What happens to my existing landline if I switch to broadband-only?

It depends on your current setup. If you currently have a traditional PSTN landline, it will be replaced by Digital Voice, which plugs into the router, or disconnected entirely, depending on what you tell the new provider you want. Your phone number can usually be ported to Digital Voice so you keep the same number, and if you do not want phone service at all, the provider simply does not activate Digital Voice.

Are broadband-only deals available as rolling 1-month contracts?

Yes, from a number of UK providers. Rolling broadband-only deals are popular with renters, students and short-stay tenants, and they typically carry the usual flexibility premium of £5 to £15 a month over 12-month equivalents. See our rolling 1-month deals page for the full analysis.

Do any UK social tariffs come as broadband-only?

Yes, several do. UK social tariffs from BT, Sky, Virgin Media, Vodafone and others are typically broadband-only at £12 to £20 a month for eligible households on qualifying benefits. If anyone in your household qualifies, check social tariff options first, because they can be significantly cheaper than standard broadband-only deals. See our social tariffs guide.

About this guide. Compiled by Adrian James and reviewed by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith, with every price and figure stated as published at 8 August 2026, and the unbundling projector reading its profile figures from this page's own markup so tool and text cannot drift. BroadbandSwitch is an independent UK broadband comparison service. Bundle compositions, streaming subscriptions, Digital Voice availability and social tariff eligibility vary by provider and household, so always verify in the provider's own terms before ordering, and device compatibility for care alarms, telehealth and security systems should be confirmed with the manufacturer ahead of any switch. We earn commission when you order via our comparison, which does not change the price you pay: read how we rank deals, our editorial policy, the methodology and trust hub and our affiliate disclosure. Spotted something wrong? Submit a correction and a human will read it.

References

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