When people are looking to save costs one of the expenses they look at is the phone line. The reason for this is that most people do not really use their phone line. The main reason why most people still have a phone line is the fact that their broadband runs off it. If this were not the case they would most likely get rid of the line. There are a few options for broadband without a phone line. Of course if you are looking into this you should look at the cost of these alternatives to the cost of broadband with a phone line.
The cost of broadband with a phone line
The standard broadband connection for most of the country is ADSL. The reason for this is that almost all the homes in the country are linked to the infrastructure which ADSL runs off. Only certain rural homes and new builds are unable to get ADSL because this connection runs off the copper wires of the phone network. As this is the case you need to have a phone line to get the internet.
The cost of broadband with a phone line is not only the broadband but the line rental as well. The line rental is often not included in the price of the broadband. Even if the rental is included in the broadband package it is not free. If you are not using your phone line for anything other than the internet the cost may seem extreme. A basic line rental will cost around £15 per month. When the rental is included with broadband you may get a discounted rate.
This discounted rate will be subject to certain conditions. The most common condition is that 12 months of the rental needs to be paid up front. This is a large amount of money if you are looking to tighten the budget. If you cannot pay this amount then the line rental discount is usually eradicated and you have to pay full price.
To best calculate the costs of your broadband with a phone line you should add what you pay for the broadband package and the line rental. This is the only accurate amount. Once you have this amount you can compare it to the broadband without phone line alternatives.
Fibre optic broadband without phone line
The most commonly used alternative to ADSL broadband is fibre optic or cable broadband. This type of broadband does not use the phone line to connect to the internet. The fibre optic infrastructure will connect to the house via the TV cable which is why it is often called cable broadband. There are two main advantages that fibre optic broadband has over ADSL:
As fibre optic broadband does not use the phone line you will no longer have to pay the line rental.
Fibre optic broadband offers higher download and upload speeds. In general a cable connection will give you up to 6 times faster internet than ADSL. The maximum speed of fibre optic connections is 100mb per second while the maximum speed for ADSL is 25mb per second.
The costs of fibre optic broadband
When you look at fibre optic broadband you may be put off by the costs. The packages are generally more expensive than ADSL packages. There are also other costs that you have to consider. Fibre optic broadband will require a technician to come out and complete set up. This is a once off cost which is also present with most ADSL connections.
The hardware for the connection will come for free when you sign up like with ADSL connections. This hardware will include splitters, modems and routers.
Cost of fibre optics versus ADSL
As you have the cost of the ADSL package along with the line rental you can compare this to the fibre optic package. The cost of the fibre optic package is the cost on the box as you do not have additional line rental costs. When you compare the two costs you may find that the ADSL is not that much cheaper because of the line rental. In some cases ADSL is actually more expensive because of the line rental.
Mobile broadband deals
Another broadband without phone line option is mobile broadband. Before you get very far into mobile broadband it is best to note that certain users should not look at this as a viable alternative. These users are those who game extensively, download regularly and stream media a lot. The heavy demands of these activities are not suited for mobile broadband because of the data restrictions and speeds.
There are a few things you have to consider when you look at mobile broadband. The first is the data allowance. Mobile broadband generally have low limits on their data allowances because the providers are not expecting people to use it as a full time alternative. Of course there are some providers who offer high data limits or unlimited deals. These should be taken with a pinch of salt because there is likely to be some small print.
The coverage of the broadband provider also needs to be looked particularly if you are looking at deals online. Mobile broadband works on the 3G network and this is why you will not need a phone line. However, the 3G network is linked to the coverage zone of the provider. Of the provider does not have strong coverage in your area you may have problems connecting to the internet or slow download speeds.
The cost of mobile broadband
Mobile broadband generally costs more in the long run then ADSL or fibre optics. This means that it is not a viable long term alternative to ADSL. However, if you are a low internet user then you may find that this is a viable option. Pay as you go mobile broadband will cost more than a fixed term contract. Additionally fixed term contracts will provide dongles and wireless routers for free.
Sam Jones liked the idea of broadband without a phone line. To make sure that the deal he was getting was the best one for him he searched price comparison sites such as uSwitch.
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