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Original poster

Landlines - do I still need one?

60 replies

SlowHorses · 25/05/2022 14:47

Just that really.

Will be renegotiating our TV/phone/broadband package soon and got me wondering why we still have a landline. Never use it for outbound; hardly ever rings for inbound and everywhere important outside friends/family (like the doctors and school etc) have our mobile numbers anyway. I think we kept it last time as seemed so cheap to just leave it, but still a cost I guess.

So tell me what I’m missing if I just get rid of it and save some money, albeit a small amount.

OP posts:
DrBrennerFan · 25/05/2022 14:48

We got rid of our never used.

Hbh17 · 25/05/2022 14:50

Got rid of ours many years ago - only ever got marketing calls on it.

Chishnfips · 25/05/2022 14:52

Haven't had one for about 15 years

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 25/05/2022 14:55

Have not had one for 23 years.

Zazdar · 25/05/2022 14:55

How are you going to get data to your house, or are you going to rely on 4/5G?

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 25/05/2022 15:17

@Zazdar hotspot of your phone.

Iamnotamermaid · 25/05/2022 15:18

Got rid of mine (never used it), upgraded the fibre & it worked out less per month.

Original poster
SlowHorses · 25/05/2022 15:19

We are already with Virgin and have fibre broadband. Thought it didn’t need a landline for that?

OP posts:
TheOpportuneMoment · 25/05/2022 15:40

We don't have one and haven't for years. However my 3yo has been learning about emergency services at preschool and came home telling me that if there's an emergency we must call 999. It dawned on me that if anything did happen he wouldn't be able to do so, as we have no phone and he would struggle to unlock my phone and dial.

JesusSufferingFuck22 · 25/05/2022 15:42

Our landline is used for our business. Our customers are mostly elderly so most don't do the internet thing.
We are rural so don't have access to fibre optic yet.
I recently bought an old phone, as in not a cordless one. Just in case the power goes out. Last few times we had a power outage our mobiles have lost signal too.

etulosba · 25/05/2022 15:47

In my experience, adding a phone to a broadband package doesn’t cost anything unless you make calls on it.

We have kept ours for emergencies and it is useful when filling in online forms that demand a phone number before you can submit. The callblocker blocks the subsequent spam calls.

User354354 · 25/05/2022 15:48

I have a phone line as the package was actually cheaper with it. But I don't have a home phone plugged in.

BarbaraofSeville · 25/05/2022 15:55

We still have one because the mobile phone service in our house is shit and you can't used it to make phone calls, let alone do anything like stream or download podcasts/games etc. We even use it to <shock horror> make and receive phone calls on it.

I recently signed up for fibre broadband with BT and it was a certain price for the BB and an extra £7.50 a month for the landline on top, including a few hundred minutes of calls.

cottagegardenflower · 25/05/2022 15:56

Don't you need it for the WiFi? Either way it doesn't cost much and is good for emergencies and back up.

RisingSunn · 25/05/2022 15:57

I’ve decided to keep mine in case my young children (God forbid) ever needed to dial 999.

etulosba · 25/05/2022 16:04

I recently signed up for fibre broadband with BT and it was a certain price for the BB and an extra £7.50 a month for the landline on top, including a few hundred minutes of calls.

But PAYG is no extra cost with BT, or it was when I was with them.

etulosba · 25/05/2022 16:05

I recently signed up for fibre broadband with BT and it was a certain price for the BB and an extra £7.50 a month for the landline on top, including a few hundred minutes of calls.

But PAYG is no extra cost with BT, or it was when I was with them.

etulosba · 25/05/2022 16:07

Not sure why that posted twice Confused

BarbaraofSeville · 25/05/2022 16:10

The landline was £5, the calls were £2.50. We need the landline and PAYG on the calls were so expensive, you'd only need to make a couple of short calls a month to get to £2.50 it seemed like a no brainer to just pay it and not have to worry about using the phone.

But they have changed pricing since I last changed provider. It used to be that you couldn't save money by having BB but not landline, but it appears that BT at least have caught up with most people's choices and you can now have BB but not pay for a landline.

Caspianberg · 25/05/2022 16:12

Nope no need. Had my own homes for 15+ years and never had need of a landline phone.

Cervinia · 25/05/2022 16:13

I only keep mine for mum whose elderly to call me.

all traditional landlines will be gone by 2025 anyway, if you need to make calls from home you will need to make them using VOIP.

if you don’t need it get rid of it now.

The move to all IP is massive right now and in the next couple of years everything will be fibre and all call packages will be done through the internet. Even elderly people will have a router with their phone plugged in the back.

Cervinia · 25/05/2022 16:14

Sorry by that I mean even those elderly people that don’t have a need for the internet.

nearlyspringyay · 25/05/2022 16:15

DH insists we need it for broadband. We don't. It never rings. Ever. Pointless.@

butimjayigetaway · 25/05/2022 16:16

Not used landline since 2011, and that was a brief blip in not using it since 2007.
Not watched TV since 2007 either.

I'm fascinated witnessing technological advancement in the short period I've been around.

butimjayigetaway · 25/05/2022 16:17

nearlyspringyay · 25/05/2022 16:15

DH insists we need it for broadband. We don't. It never rings. Ever. Pointless.@

Weren't we always told we needed the line for the net to work?

But when they fitted mine the technician said 'I can't put the landline in or it will interrupt the neighbour's internet' and never put it in... apparently.

When I relayed this back to the provider they said that's not possible.

Who knows! But we've not got any port for any landline in our home.