Compare broadband only packages

For the most part, broadband will be sold along with phone line rental. This is because, for the most part, your broadband and phone will use the same physical (phone) line to work. As such, getting the two services together is a pretty sensible idea, both in terms of convenience and cost - if you're going to need the line to connect your broadband anyway, you may as well take the phone since it's often bundled in at little to no extra cost. These days, with people relying more and more on mobiles to make their calls, there's more of a call for broadband only packages as well as deals for broadband without a landline.

There are only a couple of providers offering broadband only packages at the moment, the biggest being Virgin Media who offer cable broadband, rather than conventional DSL broadband. In order to get Virgin's cable broadband you'll need to live in an area with cable connection - which is currently around 50% of the country. Others, including smaller supplier Relish, offer mobile broadband, which also doesn't require a phone line.

The majority of providers will make you pay for their line rental if you want one of their broadband packages. But, there are a few providers who will allow you to get your line rental from a different provider.

By doing this, you can get your broadband from one company, and then get a cheaper line rental service from someone else. In theory, it will help you save a lot of money on your line rental throughout the course of your broadband contract. It’s a great idea for people with a current phone deal that they’re comfortable with, but want to switch to a different broadband provider. Or, it’s great if you’ve shopped around and found a cheaper line rental deal somewhere else.

Perhaps the best example of a provider that allows you to get your line rental elsewhere is Plusnet. They give you the chance to choose one of their broadband deals and get your line rental from a different provider. There is a catch, as they’re a BT owned company, you have to get your line rental from another BT based landline provider. Additionally, the price of the broadband from Plusnet will rise if you don’t get your line rental from them. So, you must find the best line rental deal around for this to work out cheaper and be worth the extra effort.