Why fixed line/landline broadband when unlimited/high allowance mobile broadband deals available?

arjaydavis · 1 September 2019 at 9:23PM

As per question in title.

I'm assuming that:
- unlimited mobile broadband deals include unlimited tethering
- unlimited mobile broadband deals include unlimited 5G access, when it becomes available in the area of the user and if they get a 5G device at the start of the service or during the term, later on

I already have a EE mobile account, 60Gb per month, unlimited tethering within that data allowance.

I have an out-of-contract talktalk fixedline and broadband deal at 17Mbs down and 1Mbs up. This is no longer good value and I can see "unlimited" mobile broadband deals from Vodafone for similar price and which include 5G access should I have a capable device. Even if I don't have a 5G device, I already have a 2nd 4G capable phone that I could use with this service. O2 are offering 100Gb deal which also would possibly be plenty if I use it with my EE allowance. I have software, Speedify, that combines connections.

Credit rating agencies seem to still include landline as part of their rating criteria, based on my anecdotal evidence reading around the subject. I would strongly argue that this is an ancient, outdated, obsolete criterion and that they are going through the motions of assessing credit without questioning themselves.

5G has been heralded as a possible alternative to fibre broadband so this would further add to the point that the landline is outdated. 4G performs well too, particularly for upload speed.

So why would I want a fixedline/land-line based Broadband service?

I've posted on Vodafone's forum similar questions aimed at their unlimited offering.

I'm also posting here to increase visibility to help others as well as myself that they might not need a fixed line at all. The predicted obsolescence of the landline seems to be slower to come than it should and if what I am asking above turns out to be positive, then this could come much sooner.

Nilrem · 2 September 2019 at 3:52AM

Because fixed line BB can be more reliable, it's easier to share between users on computers, it's lower latency, it can be cheaper than a mobile contract (by quite a bit) for the same speed, and for some users an "unlimited" data connection may well end up with you getting a letter reminding you that the small print has conditions.

Personally I'm not going near a mobile BB connection until I know it is at least as reliable, and as low latency as my landline and I'm not going to end up having an argument with them because I've actually used it as "unlimited" and been doing my steam downloads* and streaming on it.

I'll believe that 5g will make a difference to normal people in general when I see it in regards to speeds etc.
There are far too many parts of the country that don't even have a decent 4g connection, and one of the big selling points for 5g from the point of view of the telecoms companies isn't actually giving users better speeds in normal use, it's in providing capacity at busy venues where it's not uncommon for the current generation of mobile phone technology to suffer overcrowding (they're very unlikely to roll out the new very expensive 5g equipment in areas where they can't be bothered to roll out a reliable 4g signal because of the cost vs users in that area).
5g should overcome this by being able to "direct" the signal to specific phones in the same way solid state "phased array" radar can so more users can use the same frequency simultaneously without interfering with each other which will be great for football stadiums etc.
In the meant time there will still be a lot of places where if you're lucky you'll get 3g from a single mobile provider, or you might get 4g in the corner of the back room.

*It's increasingly common for games to be pushing 30gb as a minimum, there are some that are pushing 100gb+, and as steam will patch the games automatically it's easy to hit a couple of hundred gigabyte a month of data just from having two people sharing a connection but playing different games.

brewerdave · 2 September 2019 at 9:59AM

Mobile internet is not much use if you live in an area with little (or no ) mobile coverage. Still plenty of places in that situation!

Carrot007 · 2 September 2019 at 10:12AM

arjaydavis wrote: »

I already have a EE mobile account, 60Gb per month, unlimited tethering within that data allowance.

60Tb and better latency and I might consider it.

Yes mobile is a solution these days for people who do not play games or stream. Many do though.

Highland76 · 2 September 2019 at 12:56PM

Why on God's earth would I want 20-30 Mbps mobile internet (max speeds in my location) when I'm currently getting 330 Mbps on FTTP? :rotfl:

JJ_Egan · 2 September 2019 at 12:59PM

Tried it and streaming/ TV services are poor .

arjaydavis · 10 September 2019 at 1:58PM

Thank you for your contributions.

It sounds like what I'm considering isn't for you, for various reasons: gaming latency, concern about fair use with downloads, bandwidth, video streaming performance, coverage.To an extent these are dependent on the individual's provider, location and setup but nonetheless valid.

And of course, not everyone has the same priority for these kind of applications. On that note, from my personal perspective, unlimited mobile broadband still appeals. Granted, appeal is relative, because what I have currently is TalkTalk with 17Mbs down and 1Mbs up speed. I expect that mobile broadband speeds, at 4g and even 3.5G can be higher than this, particularly for uploading. In fact I have used such mobile connections already to upload large files, instead of via the 1Mbs offered by TalkTalk.

Given that I get good coverage of mobile providers within my home, the location issue is less of an issue. But being mobile, I do have the advantage of being able to take the service with me when on the move.

As I see unlimited mobile broadband as a replacement for my fixed line broadband, I would still be keeping my existing mobile service. With software such as Speedify, I can bond the 2 connections to further improve the speed. Sharing with multiple devices is still posssible though some requirements may be a little more involved than with a fixed line broadband setup, but nonetheless posssible.

Finally, there are some unlimited deals that are 30 day rolling contract. This is useful flexibility should I need to change the service with that provider or move elsewhere to a more suitable deal. Longer term, I will be considering a near-1Gb/s symmetric service (up and down) from Toob or Hyperoptic (elsewhere offered by g,network) when available. Until then, the unlimited mobile broadband offerings, particularly rolling 30 days offer a better service to bridge me until I take up a true FTTP service.

[Deleted User] · 10 September 2019 at 3:41PM

arjaydavis wrote: »

Thank you for your contributions.

It sounds like what I'm considering isn't for you, for various reasons: gaming latency, concern about fair use with downloads, bandwidth, video streaming performance, coverage.To an extent these are dependent on the individual's provider, location and setup but nonetheless valid.

And of course, not everyone has the same priority for these kind of applications. On that note, from my personal perspective, unlimited mobile broadband still appeals. Granted, appeal is relative, because what I have currently is TalkTalk with 17Mbs down and 1Mbs up speed. I expect that mobile broadband speeds, at 4g and even 3.5G can be higher than this, particularly for uploading. In fact I have used such mobile connections already to upload large files, instead of via the 1Mbs offered by TalkTalk.

Given that I get good coverage of mobile providers within my home, the location issue is less of an issue. But being mobile, I do have the advantage of being able to take the service with me when on the move.

As I see unlimited mobile broadband as a replacement for my fixed line broadband, I would still be keeping my existing mobile service. With software such as Speedify, I can bond the 2 connections to further improve the speed. Sharing with multiple devices is still posssible though some requirements may be a little more involved than with a fixed line broadband setup, but nonetheless posssible.

Finally, there are some unlimited deals that are 30 day rolling contract. This is useful flexibility should I need to change the service with that provider or move elsewhere to a more suitable deal. Longer term, I will be considering a near-1Gb/s symmetric service (up and down) from Toob or Hyperoptic (elsewhere offered by g,network) when available. Until then, the unlimited mobile broadband offerings, particularly rolling 30 days offer a better service to bridge me until I take up a true FTTP service.

And how much are you paying for both services?

JJ_Egan · 10 September 2019 at 3:43PM

As per other posts this is really going to be a case of try and see if mobile fits your needs .
Especially for those on a poor ADSL connection .

arjaydavis · 10 September 2019 at 4:37PM

And how much are you paying for both services?

Mobile:

EE - 60Gb allowance per month, download/upload is 32.5/10.4Mbp/s, average, according to 4G website, for 30 pounds per month.
EE also now offer unlimited allowance for 34 pounds per month.

Home Broadband:

I'm paying 31.20 for TalkTalk internet at 17Mb/s download 1Mb/s upload. They have better and cheaper deals, e.g. their unlimited full fibre at 26 pounds per month with download speed of 67Mb/s upload 19.5Mb/s, according to Cable website, 18 month contract.

Total: 61.20 per month for mobile + home broadband.

Looking to replace Home Broadband with:

Vodafone "Unlimited" or "Unlimited Max" at 26 or 30 pounds per month on a 30 day rolling contract, respectively. Vodafone download/upload speed 24.3/8.8Mb/s on average, according to 4G website.

I already have a spare 4G device for this service, so don't need to purchase it. When 5G rolls out in my area, which they have promised later in this year, I may consider getting a 5G device and staying with them instead of dropping them and taking up near 1Gb/s fixed line symmetric broadband (see below). By then such 5G devices might be a bit cheaper as well.

Then, when near-1Gb 900Mb/s symmetric upload and download available, this will be 25 pounds per month for 18 months with Toob.

Or 45 pounds per month for 900Mbps/symmetric with Hyperoptic and they also offer 150Mb/s symmetric for 26 pounds. All on rolling monthly contract.

Note that I can combine the options from the 2 services (mobile and home broadband or mobile equivalent replacement I'm considering) for faster speeds, using Speedify.

Note: don't work for Speedify nor any of these organisations or have vested interest.

[Deleted User] · 10 September 2019 at 5:10PM

arjaydavis wrote: »

Mobile:

EE - 60Gb allowance per month, download/upload is 32.5/10.4Mbp/s, average, according to 4G website, for 30 pounds per month.
EE also now offer unlimited allowance for 34 pounds per month.

Home Broadband:

I'm paying 31.20 for TalkTalk internet at 17Mb/s download 1Mb/s upload. They have better and cheaper deals, e.g. their unlimited full fibre at 26 pounds per month with download speed of 67Mb/s upload 19.5Mb/s, according to Cable website, 18 month contract.

Total: 61.20 per month for mobile + home broadband.

Looking to replace Home Broadband with:

Vodafone "Unlimited" or "Unlimited Max" at 26 or 30 pounds per month on a 30 day rolling contract, respectively. Vodafone download/upload speed 24.3/8.8Mb/s on average, according to 4G website.

I already have a spare 4G device for this service, so don't need to purchase it. When 5G rolls out in my area, which they have promised later in this year, I may consider getting a 5G device and staying with them instead of dropping them and taking up near 1Gb/s fixed line symmetric broadband (see below). By then such 5G devices might be a bit cheaper as well.

Then, when near-1Gb 900Mb/s symmetric upload and download available, this will be 25 pounds per month for 18 months with Toob.

Or 45 pounds per month for 900Mbps/symmetric with Hyperoptic and they also offer 150Mb/s symmetric for 26 pounds. All on rolling monthly contract.

Note that I can combine the options from the 2 services (mobile and home broadband or mobile equivalent replacement I'm considering) for faster speeds, using Speedify.

Note: don't work for Speedify nor any of these organisations or have vested interest.

If you get full usage and it suits you that's fine but that's outside my budget I'm afraid.

I'm paying £4.50 a month for Sky Mobile 2GB/UL minutes & texts, the speeds of course are variable but are usually around 25/15Mbps DL/UL.

My NowTV fibre is £25 a month(which includes calls) for 37/8Mbps DL/UL (actual speeds).

Why fixed line/landline broadband when unlimited/high allowance mobile broadband deals available?

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