Do I need line rental?

Wellsbells

I have FTTP and I'm very unclear about line rental - is it only relevant if I want to keep a landline telephone number?

MSE suggests that broadband only (no line rental) deals are often more expensive.  The advice is generally go for line rental even if you don't plug a phone in.

Assuming it would be cheaper therefore, I searched on the MSE Broadband Compare Tool ticking both Broadband and Phone Line Rental.  Scrolling down the results, best deal for me in my area would have been Plusnet Full Fibre 74.  But I spoke to Plusnet who say this does not include line rental.  They say none of their fast fibre deals include line rental.

So - are fibre broadband only deals becoming cheaper than fibre deals that include a landline?

Are there any disadvantages to relinquishing my landline phone?  If I want the Plusnet FF74 I can't have line rental.

Any clarification welcome.  Thanks

Brie

The only issue I've heard about is that if internet is down and you don't have a good mobile signal a land line will still work.

Ayr_Rage

If you already have FTTP then your ISP may offer a phone service over the fibre line (VoIP).

Not all do.

You will need a router with integrated VoIP or an adapter that plugs into an ethernet port to connect a handset.

In the early days of FTTP some ISPs offered a hybrid service, internet over fibre and the copper line remaining connected for phone service.

Do you still have any phone services ?

Wellsbells

Yes, we currently have a 'landline' phone with the same number we've always had.

But this is where I'm confused.  It's definitely a digital line (VoiP I believe).  We don't have a copper line any more - that got cut down.

So as it all comes down the fibre, does that mean we don't need line rental to keep our ability to receive digital phone calls on our original STD number?

Neil49

It's how Internet providers define landline which is the problem. 

You need a physical line to provide Internet connectivity. Phone connectivity is an extra charge which uses the same line. 

Why they can't come up with different terminology is beyond me. 

iniltous

Thinking of line rental as a separate item is unhelpful, and not just with FTTP  , if you have FTTP broadband only , the charge for your broadband includes ‘line rental’ , irrespective of the line being a copper pair line or a fibre, if you want a telephony service, delivered by plugging a phone into the broadband router , generally that’s an extra charge , so broadband on its without telephony is cheaper , but that means no phone service at all , no phone number , no incoming or outgoing calls, no 999 calls etc , if you add telephony with BT ( for example ) it adds £5 if you want telephony with no calls included, so all calls charged for individually, or add £7 for the 700 inclusive minutes plan , or £12 for unlimited calls plan , so if for example if broadband on its own is £25 , adding telephony increases the charge , £30 to £37 depending on the version of telephony you want, so the opposite is true , if you have telephony and don’t want it , removing it saves some money , but if you have PAYG , it’s only £5 and of course you lose all telephony, including incoming calls and emergency service calls.

bunnygo

after 2025 (or sooner if you opt for Digital voice earlier) , landlines will no longer work in a power cut even with a corded phone. That's because there's no resilience in the new system, as it has been designed by city-kitty millennials who think everyone has a mobile phone and lives in an area with signal. Mobile phone masts can of course go out in a power cut too.

you may be offered a backup power supply if you shout loudly enough, but it will only last an hour.

this is a spectacular foul up but that's the UK for you now.

littleboo

It's not a foul up. It's an inevitable consequence of 1) the push for fibre 2) landline usage being on a continuing decline and 3) UK  telephone exchanges are end of life and obsolete. Germany and Switzerland have both already completed this transition. 

bunnygo

it is a foul up in a country where power infrastructure is not resilient, and many do not have or cannot have access to a mobile phone. Yes the change needs doing but engineers worthy of the name make sure they don't make things worse.

littleboo

What do you think the answer is, apart from local UPS? And if it is local UPS, who, in general, should be responsible for providing continuous power in the home, power companies, homeowners or ISP's?

Farway

bunnygo said:

it is a foul up in a country where power infrastructure is not resilient, and many do not have or cannot have access to a mobile phone. Yes the change needs doing but engineers worthy of the name make sure they don't make things worse.

I'm sure the engineers would agree if the accountants would let them spend the money required