Broadband and

Line Rental Guide

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Getting the Best Broadband And Line Rental Deals

Almost every business across the UK needs fast and reliable broadband, with companies of all sizes looking for the best deal for their broadband line rental. Whether you operate as a sole trader or a sizeable enterprise, your broadband connection will significantly impact your efficiency and profitability. To help you find the best deal, we have compiled this helpful guide to business broadband line rental.

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What is Broadband and Line Rental?

Short for 'broad bandwidth', broadband is an internet connection type that allows you to take advantage of faster upload and download speeds than you could achieve with a dial-up connection.

Line rental is a charge that covers your use of the lines that enable your business to connect to the internet, covering upkeep costs and ensuring your internet connection is maintained. Your internet connection type will determine what your line rental covers.

There are various internet connection types, including the following:

• Dial-up - A dial-up internet connection uses copper cables.

• Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) - An FTTC connection uses a combination of fibre and copper cables to provide faster internet speeds.

• Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) - Also called Full Fibre, an FTTP connection only uses fibre cables, allowing for an ultra-fast internet connection.

• Leased Line - A Leased Line is similar to an FTTP connection, but only your business can use the connection.

Who Charges for Broadband Line Rental?

Openreach is a subsidy of the BT Group, which owns the telephone infrastructure in the UK. This means that if your broadband provider uses a landline through the UK telephone infrastructure, Openreach will charge them. This cost is, in turn, passed onto your business in the form of a line rental charge.

Even if your business does not use a landline for phone calls, you will still need to pay the landline charge if your internet connection relies upon the copper cabling of the Openreach infrastructure. Openreach uses this fee to maintain the copper lines between the roadside cabinets and your premises. If there are any faults within the copper line network, the line rental you pay covers the repair.

Some broadband providers do not charge broadband line rental, such as Virgin Media, which has its own cable network outside the BT telephone network. Equally, FTTP and Leased Line connections don't use copper landlines. Alternatively, mobile and satellite broadband providers, often popular with premises in more rural areas, shouldn't charge for line rental.

How Does Line Rental Affect My Broadband Package?

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that from 31st October 2016, broadband providers must ensure broadband line rental costs are more transparent. Instead of listing separate broadband and line rental prices, providers must show the total cost. This means that most packages you find will include the line rental element unless you are signing up to a provider that uses a separate network, such as Virgin Media, mobile broadband or satellite broadband.

The actual cost of line rental will vary between suppliers, although you can expect between £12 and £20 of your broadband bill to cover your line rental cost. The amount you pay for your broadband each month will include your line rental cost.

You could see if your broadband provider offers a line rental saver option, wherein you pay your annual line rental cost upfront to reduce your total business broadband spend. However, with FTTP and Leased Line connections offering businesses more favourable internet speeds, it's usually best to find a good monthly deal.

Access the Best Broadband and Phone Deals Including Line Rental

Our Telecoms Team is dedicated to ensuring your business doesn't just get the best broadband and phone deals, including line rental; we find the package that best suits your needs. Simply click the 'Get Your Broadband Deal' button below, provide us with a few details about what you're looking for, and we'll share our pick of the best broadband and phone deals, including line rental.

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Broadband Line Rental FAQs

What is the difference between line rental and broadband?

Line rental is the cost of maintaining the copper phone lines that provide you with a phone connection and broadband. Broadband is the service you use to connect to the internet.

Where can I see how much line rental I'm paying?

If you're paying for line rental as part of your broadband package, you should be able to find your line rental charge on your broadband bill. If you can't find it there, you should be able to find out how much of your broadband package covers your line rental by contacting your broadband provider.

Why can't I find line rental on my broadband bill?

If you can't find your line rental costs on your broadband bill, you may have a broadband-only connection, such as FTTP or Virgin Media cable. If this isn't the case, your line rental costs are likely part of the total price of your broadband package.

Why don't broadband providers advertise line rental costs?

Since 31st October 2016, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has made it mandatory for broadband providers to ensure broadband line rental costs are part of the advertised price. Because of this ruling, providers now show the total cost instead of listing separate prices for broadband and line rental. This doesn't necessarily mean you won't pay for line rental; the cost is just part of the monthly price the provider displays.

Do I need a landline for broadband?

No, you don't need a landline for broadband. However, if you have a landline, you may get a bundled package that includes broadband and landline phone services. This can often be cheaper than signing up for separate contracts for broadband and landline phone services.

What is Broadband-Only?

Broadband-Only is a type of broadband service that doesn't include a landline, meaning you'll only be able to use the internet. If you need to make or receive phone calls, you'll need to do so via mobile phones or a VoIP phone service.

Can I get broadband without line rental?

Yes, you can get broadband without line rental. Many providers offer Broadband-Only services, including FTTP (also known as Full Fibre), Virgin Media cable broadband, Leased Lines and satellite broadband. You can also get mobile broadband, which is a type of broadband that uses your mobile phone signal to connect to the internet.

What are the benefits of getting broadband without line rental?

Broadband without line rental has many benefits, including:

• Save money on line rental costs.

• Increased choice of broadband providers.

• Save money if you don't need a landline phone.

What are the drawbacks of getting broadband without line rental?

Some disadvantages of broadband without line rental include:

• You won't be able to make or receive phone calls on your landline.

• You may get a different level of customer service than you would with a bundled package due to spending less.

• If you also need a landline phone, getting separate phone and broadband services may cost you more than a bundled package.

How do I switch to broadband without line rental?

Switching to broadband without line rental might seem daunting, but it's similar to changing broadband services with line rental. If you want to spend less time switching broadband providers and more time focusing on your business, we can help. Our specialist broadband team will find you the best broadband deal from our providers, ensuring that your switchover goes smoothly and freeing you up to focus on other tasks that matter.

What's the Difference Between Residential and Business Broadband?

Business broadband offers a variety of exclusive benefits, including a reliable, fast, and secure connection.

For example, you will receive more immediate customer service response times, with many providers offering Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that guarantee fault-fixing times. You'll also have the choice of faster speeds, thanks to various options that reduce the load on the line by allowing fewer people to use the connection at any time.

Notably, a Leased Line ensures that only your business will use the line, ensuring only you can affect the load and subsequent internet speeds.

Businesses paying the line rental for a landline phone can access the hardware and technology required to run larger phone systems. Depending on the type of phone package you need, your broadband package may also support phone calls made via the Internet using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Most broadband packages in the UK are FTTC, which use a combination of fibre and copper landlines, with many smaller businesses finding that these connection types are fast and reliable enough. However, many businesses choose FTTP or Full Fibre connections, which are much faster and becoming the standard in the UK. Still, they are only available in some places.

When you compare broadband prices, your line rental cost will be part of the offer, but because FTTP connections don't include a line rental, you may find that you can spend the same amount for a much faster connection if you don't also need a landline phone.

We understand that sifting through various broadband options can be confusing and time-consuming. This is where we can help. Our specialist Broadband Team can help you quickly find and compare the best broadband deals available to your business.

Click the 'Get a Broadband Quote' button below to find out how much we could save your business.

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