Death of the landline: Do we still use our home phones?
Are we still using our home phone lines regularly, or do we just have them because they’re included as an extra in our broadband packages? How much could we save if we ditched landlines altogether?
Reviewed by Catherine Hiley
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Last updated: 16 April 2025
4 mins read
The rise of mobile phones and online communication has made the traditional landline less of a household essential. Do families still want a landline, or is it simply something that comes bundled with a broadband package?
We’ve taken a look at the current popularity of home phone lines, as well as the cost of keeping our homes connected. Do landlines still hold value today, or are they becoming a thing of the past?
Do we still use our landlines?
How many households still use their home phone line?
Our survey results found that around two-fifths (41%) of UK adults do have a landline at home, but only a quarter of these households use it regularly.[1] The majority (76%) of residents with a landline don’t use it multiple times each week.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, older residents are far more likely to own a landline than younger people. Almost two-thirds (62%) of adults aged 65 and over told us they have a landline, compared to just a fifth (21%) of 25- to 34-year-olds.
The East Midlands has the most landline users of any region across Britain, with almost half (49%) of adults owning a home phone in this area. Similar numbers can be found in the East of England (47%) and Wales (46%). But up in the North East, only around one-third (32%) of adults have a landline.
| Region | Percentage of residents who have a landline |
|---|---|
| East Midlands | 49% |
| East of England | 47% |
| Wales | 46% |
| North West | 42% |
| Scotland | 41% |
| London | 40% |
| South West | 40% |
| West Midlands | 40% |
| South East | 37% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 35% |
| North East | 32% |
According to our survey, a huge 92% of adults who have a home phone got it included in their broadband package. Almost half (46%) of these respondents stated that it was included at no additional cost.
But, this means more than half of those with a landline included in their bundle are paying extra for it. So, is it worth it?
Almost half (47%) of landline users are happy to stick with it for at least the next year, our poll shows. But, 13% say they expect to cancel it during this time, while 41% are undecided.
Unsurprisingly, those who use their landline regularly are less likely to cancel, with 71% stating they will keep their landline package for the next year. Just 7% of frequent users plan to cancel, compared to 15% of non-regular users. But, it seems many are reluctant to part with their home phone lines altogether, as 47% of infrequent users say they’re unsure if they’d cancel in the next year.
Landlines in your broadband packages
According to our research, broadband packages that include landlines have seen a significant drop in the last few years.
Between 2021 and 2024, orders of these contracts have fallen by more than 66%.[2] Meanwhile, orders for packages that don’t include a home phone line have been on the rise, increasing by 115% during this period.
In 2021, orders for broadband packages that included a landline made up almost two-thirds (62%) of all broadband contracts. But a year later, these orders made up around half (51%) of the broadband deals that consumers bought. This number has continued to drop, to 42% of deals in 2023 and finally, just one-fifth of contracts last year.
It’s clear to see that, as fewer people use their home phone lines, far fewer people are buying broadband packages which include a landline.
How do we expect this to continue? So far, in 2025, orders for broadband packages with a landline have made up just 2% of the total number of contracts bought, with the remaining 98% choosing a deal without the home phone line.
How much does broadband with a landline cost?
Currently, the average cost of a broadband package sits at around £27 per month.[3] But since 2020, the average cost of a broadband package with a landline has increased by more than £5, from just under £25 in 2020 to around £31 in 2025.
Broadband packages without a landline included have risen in price, too, but at a slower rate. Although these bundles sat at an average price of around £25 in 2020, the same as those with a landline, the cost has risen by around £2 this year to just under £27. This means these bundles cost over £4 less per month than those with a landline.
This price difference could be one reason why more residents are choosing to give up on their home phone line. In 2020, the average price difference between the two packages was just 15p, which is far less of an incentive to ditch their landline than today.
Based on our survey figures, UK adults who don’t regularly use their landlines spend £611,866,803 each month on broadband packages that include their home phone line.[4] By switching to a package without a landline, they could save £61,160,649 in total each month. That works out to around £49.27 per person every year.
This year, around 2.7 million adults expect to cancel their landline, meaning their combined savings will be approximately £11,310,681 every month.
What to look for in your broadband package
If you’re planning to ditch your landline, or have already unplugged your home phone, you’ll be looking for a broadband-only deal.
There are different types of packages to suit all needs, like a combined broadband and TV package, which can include paid-for TV channels like Sky Sports or Nickelodeon for the kids. This can actually save you money because it often works out cheaper each month than paying for separate broadband and TV contracts.
Full fibre and cable broadband packages don’t require a landline at all to work, whereas part-fibre and older-style ADSL do need a phone line for their connection. But, even if you need this broadband type, you don’t need to pay for a landline plan unless you choose to include it.
Currently, the analogue landline network (PSTN) is being phased out and is due to be fully switched off in 2027. Home phone users will instead be able to make calls over a digital network. If you do still want a broadband deal that includes your landline, you’ll be able to find broadband and landline packages under the new system, which is the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
About the data
[1] Figures were sourced from a survey of 2,000 UK residents via YouGov. The survey was run on 25 February 2025 and all responses were selected at random. All statistics are sourced from this survey unless otherwise stated.
[2] Figures related to trends in landline broadband packages were sourced through internal data on the number of quotes and orders for broadband packages with and without landlines from January 2020 to February 2025.
[3] Figures related to the cost of broadband packages with and without a landline were sourced through internal data on the cost of packages from January 2020 to February 2025.
[4] Figures on how much is spent on landline packages and how much could be saved on broadband were calculated by applying the above cost figures to the number of UK adults with a broadband landline package.
This was sourced by taking the percentage of respondents who said they have a landline included with their broadband package (based on the survey above) and applying it to the number of UK adults, sourced from ONS estimates of the population for the UK. The number for adults is those aged 20+ because of the data available.