Broadband and home phone guide
Best phone and broadband deals in the UK
Choose a bundle by call use, Digital Voice requirements and total contract cost, not by an "included line" headline, with the 31 January 2027 landline switch-off now locked in.
Last researched and reviewed: 24 August 2026 · By the BroadbandPicker editorial team
The quick answer
The UK's old analogue landline network (PSTN) is being fully switched off by 31 January 2027, with the number of customers still on it falling from 5.2 million in July 2024 to 3.2 million in July 2025. Almost every new broadband line now comes with Digital Voice, a phone service that runs through the router rather than the copper network, so ask specifically what happens in a power cut and whether existing telecare or alarm equipment is compatible before switching or renewing.
Choose the right phone bundle
| Household need | Plan feature | Check carefully |
|---|---|---|
| Rare calls | Pay-as-you-go calls | Connection fee and per-minute charge |
| Frequent UK calls | Anytime or evening/weekend allowance, e.g. TalkTalk Anytime Calls at £12/mo | Excluded numbers and fair-use terms |
| Vulnerable user or telecare | Provider support and a resilience solution exceeding Ofcom's minimum | Power-cut operation and device compatibility |
| International calls | Country-specific add-on | Mobile destinations and call setup fees |
The PSTN switch-off is now locked in for 31 January 2027
The UK's old analogue phone network, the PSTN, is being fully retired by 31 January 2027, a date the industry now treats as fixed after Openreach confirmed the earlier technical barriers behind the original December 2025 target have been resolved. Migration is already well underway: Ofcom recorded 5.2 million customers still on the PSTN in July 2024, falling to 3.2 million by July 2025. Every remaining household will move to Digital Voice, a phone service delivered over the broadband connection, before the cut-off.
Digital Voice and power cuts
Because Digital Voice runs through the broadband router rather than a separately powered copper line, it will not work during a power cut unless a backup solution is in place. Ofcom requires every provider to ensure at least one hour of continued access to emergency services during a power cut. Under the industry PSTN Charter, providers have also committed to not migrating telecare or medical-alarm users unless their specific device is confirmed compatible with Digital Voice, and to offer backup solutions that go beyond Ofcom's one-hour minimum. Tell your provider directly about any telecare, alarm or accessibility equipment before a migration date is set, rather than after.
Compare the whole contract, not the headline call plan
Add the monthly broadband cost, any call-plan add-on, setup and delivery fees, and any scheduled price rise across the full minimum term. TalkTalk's Anytime Calls add-on, for example, costs £12 a month on top of the base broadband price, a genuine extra cost that a headline "with free calls" advert can obscure. Check the out-of-contract price and whether calls to mobiles or premium-rate numbers are excluded from any inclusive allowance before assuming a bundle is genuinely all-inclusive.
When broadband without a phone plan is better
If nobody in the household uses a landline number, a broadband-only package is usually simpler and marginally cheaper. Some providers still describe a package as "broadband-only" even though a Digital Voice capability exists in the background as part of the underlying line, so compare the final advertised price rather than the product label alone, since the presence or absence of a phone feature rarely changes the price meaningfully once full fibre is involved.
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Compare broadband optionsFrequently asked questions
When is the UK landline switch-off happening?
The old analogue PSTN network is being fully retired by 31 January 2027, a date now treated as fixed after Openreach confirmed the technical barriers behind the original December 2025 target were resolved. The number of customers still on the PSTN fell from 5.2 million in July 2024 to 3.2 million in July 2025, so most households have already migrated or will do so well before the final date.
Will my phone work in a power cut after switching to Digital Voice?
Not without a backup solution, since Digital Voice runs through the broadband router rather than a separately powered line. Ofcom requires providers to guarantee at least one hour of access to emergency services during a power cut, and providers under the industry PSTN Charter have committed to offering backup that exceeds this minimum for telecare and vulnerable-user households specifically.
Can I keep my home phone number?
Usually, if you request number porting during the order process. Do not cancel the old service first, since that can put the existing number at risk of being lost rather than transferred.
Is line rental still charged separately?
Increasingly not. The underlying connection cost is now commonly bundled into one broadband price rather than shown as a separate line-rental line item, particularly on full-fibre packages.
How much do inclusive call plans cost?
It varies by provider and plan. TalkTalk's Anytime Calls add-on, for example, costs £12 a month on top of the base broadband price for unlimited UK calls. Compare this against your household's actual call volume, since a household that rarely uses the landline may be better off on pay-as-you-go calls instead.
Sources and methodology
We use official provider pages and primary UK regulatory or government sources. We do not copy competitor rankings. Provider claims are treated as claims and availability-dependent details are not presented as universal facts.