By BT now offers broadband without a landline. Find out what it means for you and how you can add a landline if required.
In the UK, BT now offers home broadband without a landline as the default option. This means you won’t be able to make or receive calls on your home phone as there won’t even be a dial tone on it. You’ll also lose your home phone number if you choose broadband without a landline.
If you’d like a home phone service, you can add a BT landline from £5/month. This will be provided to you using either a standard analogue phone line or using BT’s new Digital Voice service. If you use your landline regularly for calling, you can get 700 minutes for £7.31/month or unlimited minutes for £15.67/month.
In this article, we’ll review BT’s Broadband Without A Landline service including how it works and the key things to know about it. We’ll also look at BT’s home broadband and home phone packages, and how you can use BT Mobile as a cheaper alternative to your landline.
| Prices From: | £29.99 per month (without a landline) £34.99 per month (with a landline) |
|---|---|
| Best Offer: | £50 reward card (currently available on BT Fibre 1) |
| Contract Length: | 24 months |
| Landline Plans: |
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| Technology: | Standard analogue phone line or Digital Voice (check your address to see packages available) |
Contents
BT Broadband Without A Landline
In the UK, BT now offers their home broadband service without a landline. This has been the default option for customers joining BT since the 4th June 2021. If you want to have a home phone service, you’ll need to add one with a BT landline available from £5/month.
If you choose to sign up for broadband without a phone line, it’s worth being aware of four important things:
- You’ll lose your home phone number when you order broadband without a landline. Your home phone number will be permanently lost if you choose broadband without a landline. You won’t be able to get it back in the future (either from BT or from another provider).
- You won’t be able to make or receive calls on your landline. If you try plugging in a phone at the wall socket, there won’t be a dial tone on it.
- You won’t be able to use your landline for emergency calls. This includes calls to 999 and other emergency phone numbers. It’s therefore important to have another way of making emergency calls (e.g. using your mobile phone instead).
- Monitored burglar alarms and health pendants may stop working. If you have devices like a security alarm or a health pendant connected to your landline, it will stop working if you don’t have a landline connection. This won’t affect anything that uses an internet or a mobile connection.
If required, you can add a landline by choosing the following option on BT’s website. It costs £5/month to add a landline with Pay As You Go calls. Alternatively, you can pay £7.31/month for a landline with 700 minutes per month or £15.67/month for a landline with unlimited calls included.
In the background, BT’s Broadband Without A Landline service is using a technology known as SOGEA (Single Order Generic Ethernet Access). It strips out the analogue home phone portion of your landline connection, giving lower monthly prices and a more reliable home broadband connection.
For more information about BT’s broadband without a landline, you can read the FAQs on the BT website.
BT Broadband Only Plans
At present, you can choose from a range of BT Broadband plans without a landline (sometimes also known as broadband only plans). They start from £29.99 per month with the price varying depending on the speeds you require:
| Service | Download Speed | Monthly Cost (will rise each April by £3) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
 Fibre Essential | 36Mbps average download | £29.99 per month plus £11.99 upfront 24 month contract | See deal |
Fibre 1 | 50Mbps average download | £30.99 per month plus £11.99 upfront £50 reward card 24 month contract | See deal |
Fibre 2 | 67Mbps average download | £31.99 per month plus £11.99 upfront £50 reward card 24 month contract | See deal |
See all BT Fibre Broadband deals →
There’s a range of special offers available including a £50 reward card when you sign up for Fibre 1. If required, you can add a landline to this before selecting your package.
If you’re lucky enough to live in a home with access to BT’s full fibre broadband, you’ll also have access to the following full fibre plans:
| Service | Download Speed | Monthly Cost (will rise each April by £3) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Full Fibre 100 | 150Mbps average download | £30.99 per month plus £11.99 upfront £50 reward card 24 month contract | See deal |
Full Fibre 300 | 300Mbps average download | £37.99 per month plus £11.99 upfront £50 reward card 24 month contract | See deal |
Full Fibre 500 | 500Mbps average download | £39.99 per month plus £11.99 upfront £50 reward card 24 month contract | See deal |
Full Fibre 900 | 910Mbps average download | £47.99 per month plus £11.99 upfront £50 reward card 24 month contract | See deal |
Check BT Full Fibre availability →
For more information, see our guide to BT’s fibre broadband plans.
BT Home Phone Plans
If you’d like to add a home phone to your BT Broadband plan, you can choose from the following three options when you checkout and “customise your package”:
| BT Home Phone Plan | Monthly Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pay As You Go Calls | £5/month | This is the cheapest way of keeping your landline number and service. You’ll pay 20.9p/minute when you call a UK landline or mobile number. |
| 700 minutes | £7.31/month | This includes 700 minutes for calling UK landline and mobile numbers (any time). |
| Unlimited minutes | £15.67/month | This includes unlimited minutes for calling UK landline and mobile numbers (any time). |
There are also a number of international calling packages available such as Friends and Family International Calls (£2.11/month) and International Freedom (£8.99/month).
You’ll get BT’s Call Protect service included with your BT landline which helps to prevent unwanted and nuisance phone calls. You’ll also get Caller Display included at no extra cost so you can see who’s calling (providing you have a phone that’s compatible with it).
Depending on where you live, the landline service will be provided to you using either a standard analogue phone line or using BT’s newer Digital Voice technology. If you’re provided with a Digital Voice service, you’ll have a choice of two free handsets (either an Advanced Digital Phone with Alexa or two Essential Digital Phones). You’ll also get features like voicemail, call waiting and call divert included with your Digital Voice service.
By the end of 2025, BT is planning to switch off their analogue phone network across the UK. If you’re offered an analogue phone line to begin with, you’ll be invited to move to Digital Voice before the end of 2025.
Switching to BT Broadband
If you’re using another broadband provider, it’s easy switching your service to BT.
Start by ordering your new home broadband plan online. You’ll benefit from the best deals and offers when you order through this page on BT’s website.
When you place your home broadband order, you’ll need to decide whether you want to add a landline to it. If you choose broadband without a landline, you’ll lose your home phone number and you won’t be able to get it back.
In advance of your new BT Broadband service going live, you’ll be sent a Smart Hub router through the post. If applicable, you’ll also be sent other products that you’ve ordered such as BT Complete Wi-Fi, BT TV and Hybrid Connect. If you’re living in a Digital Voice area, you’ll also be sent your Digital Voice equipment if you’ve signed up for a landline. On the date that your new BT service goes live, you’ll need to unplug your old broadband equipment and replace it with the new equipment from BT.
In most cases, you won’t need to separately cancel your old service. This is because BT will do it for you automatically. If you’re a Virgin Media customer, you’ll need to contact them to cancel your old service as BT won’t be able to do this for you.
For step-by-step instructions on how to switch to BT, please select your current broadband provider from the list below:
Switch to BT Broadband
Your step-by-step guide to switching
You can also read our in-depth guide to switching home broadband providers.
More Information
For more information about broadband without a landline, please see BT’s official website.
You may also find it useful to read our BT Broadband review and our guide to BT’s Digital Voice service.
Ken Stevens said:
I signed up to upgrade my BT service for better wi-fi coverage and, being a doddery old wotsit,hadn’t realised that the digital phone with Alexa meant loss of landline. I immediately exercised my right of cancellation within 14 days and BT are saying that the change to wholly broadband is irreversible. I have pointed out that irreversible only applies contractually if the new contract is accepted, whereas I have rejected it under consumer legislation. I cannot for a moment believe that it is not technically possible to reinstate my landline. Response from BT awaited!
On a practical level, I had three currently useless handsets around the house with my landline but only one broadband handset, with no indications about whether further handsets can be purchased and whether they are affordable. Can’t seed any adverts on BT site or elsewhere for such beasties.
Moral of this story: Don’t respond to enticing “deals” unless you’re content to give up landline forever.
Lynton Green replied:
same here Ken, except that when I upgraded (from 200 Mb to 500 Mb) I wasn’t told I would have to have a VOIP phone. Even when I received an email I (wrongly) thought it wouldn’t affect me, as I only have a fibre connection to the house (no old copper phone line).
the most annoying thing is losing the number I’ve had for the past 22 years. and if I do choose to switch to BT VOIP I am restricted to new hand sets around the home.
I could switch to a separate VOIP provider, and then have my home number on my mobile phone, however BT don’t appear to allow you to take your number anywhere else.
at the moment no one can ring me on my home number, and if they do, I don’t know they’ve even tried…….
I’d love to switch to Circle Loop for my home number, but I’d need a new number if I do that 🤷♂️
Colin Crawford said:
Thanks I’ve tried to order this (current BT customer) and it says not available offers me fibre/holo deals @ £60/ month. Does not seem to be an option to remove land line services from my package.
Any ideas .