Do you feel that you have a phone line for no reason? There are many people who feel this way. However, when they look into why they need a phone line they find that their broadband needs it (ADSL). There are two options for these people. The first is to simply accept things the way they are and continue paying for a phone line they don’t really need. The other option is to find broadband without phone line alternatives.
Why do you need a phone line?
A phone line can be used for a number of things but they are also not ideal for everyone. Some people cannot live without their home phone while other people often forget that they even have one. People who use their home line a lot include people who work from home, people who use the phone as their main communication source and people who enter phone competitions. These people should keep their phone line because it would be more cost effective for them.
Of course there are a lot of people who don’t actually need a phone line. These people generally use their mobile phone for all their telephonic communications. However, a problem that these people come across is that their broadband needs a phone line. There are a number of alternative internet connections which these people can use. Of course some of these alternatives will not be as cost effect as keeping the phone line.
Fibre optic broadband without phone line
The most commonly used alternative to phone line based broadband is fibre optic broadband. This broadband runs off fibre optic cables which enter your home with the TV cable. There are many benefits that actually make this alternative better than phone line based broadband.
- The speed of fibre optic broadband is much greater than ADSL or phone line broadband. This broadband without phone line is able to offer you download speeds of up to 100mb per second.
- While the cost of fibre optic broadband is often more than ADSL you should take into account line rental. If you add the monthly line rental cost to the ADSL package you will find that the cost of fibre optic is not that much more. You should also consider that you are getting a faster internet connection for the price.
Who are the fibre optic broadband providers?
When fibre optics first hit the market the only provider was Virgin Media. In fact Virgin Media has a fibre optic network that covers half the country. Today there are a number of other providers who also offer fibre optic connections. These providers include Sky and BT.
Additional costs for fibre optics?
When you look at any alternative to the industry standard you have to look for additional costs. Is it going to cost you extra to get the alternative? With fibre optics you are likely to pay an installation fee. This fee covers the cost of a technician coming to your home to set up your broadband connection. This will be a once off fee. The hardware for this broadband connection will come free with the contract. You should get a wireless router for free.
Mobile broadband
Another option to getting broadband without phone line is to use mobile broadband. This option is somewhat popular because it can be used by people who are unable to get fibre optic broadband. Fibre optic broadband is only available in certain parts of the country. However, most of the country can get mobile signal and this is what mobile broadband runs off.
Mobile broadband makes use of 3G signal and in some cases 4G. The 3G signal will be picked up by either a dongle or a mobile broadband wireless router. Once this signal is found the dongle or router will connect the attached devices to the internet. While this seems like a good alternative there are a number of problems you should be aware of.
- The speed of mobile broadband is much lower than fibre optics and ADSL. In face the maximum speed for most of these deals will be 7.2mb per second. This means that mobile broadband is not a viable alternative for heavy internet users.
- The data limit on these deals is also quite low. Depending on the provider you can get between 1GB and 15GB of data per month. There are a few providers who offer unlimited data deals but these are usually subject to fair use policies or other restricting terms.
- Mobile broadband is limited to the signal coverage area of a specific provider. If you have purchased your mobile broadband from 3 Mobile you will only be able to use it within areas covered by 3 Mobile.
- Speeds decrease with loss of signal. If you are in a low coverage zone your ability to connect to the internet may be patchy. Fluctuations in the signal strength will also cause fluctuations in your internet speed which can make surfing the web frustrating.
- The cost of mobile broadband generally ends up being quite high. If you were to compare the amount of data and speed of your mobile broadband to fixed line broadband you will find that you are paying more for less.
The major advantage to mobile broadband is the flexibility of where you can connect. You can connect to the internet anywhere as long as you have network coverage. Another advantage is that you do not have to pay for an unnecessary phone line.
Satellite broadband
For people who live in rural areas where there is no phone or cable infrastructure satellite broadband is an option. This is not a good alternative for most people because of the many problems you will face.
- The cost of installation alone is rather exorbitant. You have to pay for this installation of a satellite dish and a transmitter. This cost can run into the hundreds not only for the hardware by the labour as well.
- The speeds are not as fast as fibre optics. Of course fibre optics is the fastest broadband solution and satellite is able to provide 20mb per second speeds.
- You will have data limits for peak times.
Sam Jones found that broadband without a phone line was a convenient option for him. With uSwitch and other price comparison websites to point him in the right direction, he was able to make sure that he got a great rate
