At a glance
Line rental costs apply when broadband or phone services use the traditional copper network.
Many UK households still use these traditional phone lines.
Line rental charges cover network upkeep and typically cost £20-£31 a month, often bundled with broadband packages.
You can get broadband services without line rental, including full fibre and mobile broadband.
What is line rental?
Line rental charges cover the cost of maintaining the copper phone lines that provide you with a landline connection and broadband. If you use the line for either service, your provider will charge you for its upkeep.
By 2027, however, it’s expected that this traditional phone network will be replaced by a digital network. This won’t necessarily reduce your bill. But the new network should be more efficient, better quality and easier to maintain.
Why do I have to pay line rental?
Many people no longer use a traditional landline. If you’re one of them, you might wonder why you have to pay for line rental costs.
Well, even if you don’t use your landline to make calls, it could be that the Openreach network of copper phone lines still connects you to both the internet and telephone network.
Even if you’ve switched to fibre-optic broadband, the last leg of the journey into many homes is still down copper wires. So, whether you use the line for phone or broadband, it needs to be maintained – hence the charge.
How much is line rental?
Nowadays, line rental is typically bundled into your broadband package, which costs around £26 a month on average according to 2025 USwitch data.
Always compare prices to make sure you’re getting the right broadband deal for you. Doing so is easy here at Compare the Market.
Start comparingCan I pay line rental yearly or monthly?
You can choose to pay your line rental costs either yearly or monthly. Many broadband providers lump your line rental and broadband costs into a single package with one monthly payment.
While it's possible to pay for a year up-front, paying annually isn’t as financially beneficial as it once was. BT’s Line Rental Saver, for example, used to offer a discount for paying yearly, but this deal no longer exists.
Can I get broadband or mobile without line rental?
Yes: these days, it’s possible to find broadband and mobile services without added line rental. More and more providers now offer 'full fibre' or 'fibre-to-the-premises' (FTTP) deals. This is a type of broadband that’s connected to your home using only fibre optic cables.
Full fibre services are generally faster and more reliable than traditional ADSL (copper wire) broadband. However, FTTP is still in its roll-out phase, which means it’s not yet available in every home or region.
Price-wise, full fibre used to be more expensive than ADSL broadband, even without the line rental fee. But, as availability improves, it’s becoming easier to find competitive – or even cheaper – deals on fibre broadband.
What does free line rental mean?
‘Free line rental’ is a misleading phrase. Broadband or mobile suppliers used to use the term when they’d simply bundled the line rental fee in as part of their overall deal.
These days, however, providers must include the price of line rental in their headline broadband or mobile costs. You may see it referred to in your package description, or it might be added separately to your bill.
At Compare the Market, we show an all-in 12-month cost. This includes line rental, activation fees and any other charges.
FAQs
Can I get broadband without line rental?
Yes, you can get broadband without line rental. As well as FTTP services, more companies (including Virgin Media) have their own cable networks these days. These don’t rely on traditional phone lines, therefore bypassing line rental charges.
You can also get 4G and 5G mobile broadband, which doesn’t require a landline.
And you don’t need a landline if you have satellite broadband. But it’s worth weighing up whether these options are actually cheaper than broadband with added line rental.
Can I get a broadband-only deal?
Yes, you can get a broadband-only deal. But some providers will still include line rental in their package price.
Some broadband-only deals – for example, those from Virgin Media – don’t involve a phone line at all.
Other deals offer broadband only but use the Openreach network to provide it – in which case, your line rental will be factored into the price. With a broadband-only deal you won’t be able to make or receive landline calls in your deal, but you would be able to use online calling apps like WhatsApp.
If you want to make landline calls, it might make more sense to opt for a package that includes both broadband and calls.
Is line rental the same as having a phone line?
No, line rental is not the same as having a phone line. When you opt for a broadband only deal what you are paying for line rental covers the upkeep of the line being used to supply your broadband.
If you want to make and receive landline calls too, you may want a broadband and phone package that includes extras like inclusive calls or cheap calls abroad.
Looking for something else?
Over the past decade, Kate has worked in various industries, including company secretarial, small business support and property investing.
Her move to financial services in 2022 not only helped her find her niche in personal finance writing, but also just how alienating finance can be. She’s now motivated by making everyday money a piece of cake for everyone, helping her readers feel informed and in control.
Kate now specialises in savings and current accounts as well as broadband, mobile and energy products.
Ele Clark is an award-winning editor who has held leadership roles at Which? and news-stand publications in London and Dubai. She’s appeared across the press and media, including BBC’s Panorama. With almost 20 years’ experience in personal finance, insurance and consumer journalism, she leads a talented team at Compare the Market, creating insightful, accessible content to help people make informed financial decisions.
With the UK racing towards gigabit speeds and our phones more integral to our lives, Matt wants to make sure you have great packages that can keep up. And with more than 10 years' experience working with digital brands, he’s shaping our broadband, TV and phone comparison journeys.
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