Do I have to have a landline?

[BA1]

Hi,

I moved house and I was planning to order a broadband, and there is no existing landline. My previous tenant said she didn't have a landline and used NOWTV fine. But when I tried to order a broadband, NOW said they need to install the landline. And that's being done after 2 weeks. I don't use home telephone so I don't want them to install any landline and only install the wifi.

Did anyone else have this issue? What should I do with this? 

Thanks a lot

[gavs82008]

@BA1 

OpenReach have to install the landline to provide your internet. Just because you’ll have a landline installed doesn’t mean you need to use it, hell we have a landline installed and we don’t even have a handset. It just doesn’t reduce the cost at all.

All FTTC connections must come with a landline if you like it or not. Whereas FTTP you get the option for no landline, but as I said it won’t reduce the cost.

What NOW provide is a FTTC connection, they are and will be heading to the land of dead in the next few years anyway. 

[BA1]

Thank you so much for your reply! 

It is a bit annoying that the set-up will be done in 2 weeks 😕 

[Jayach]

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@gavs82008 wrote:

@BA1 

All FTTC connections must come with a landline if you like it or not. Whereas FTTP you get the option for no landline,

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With Now broadband yes, but most other ISPs are now using SOGEA, and with that a landline (as in a telephone number) isn't necessarily included (and if it is, it will  be VoIP)

Obviously a landline (as in a physical copper pair wire) is required for FTTC.

[bacillus]

I suspect your tenant probably used 4G home broadband for their internet connection hence no landline.

[RoyB]

@BA1 @bacillus 

Or it may simply be that your previous tenant was using the terms slightly differently; for some people, asking if they have a landline will be interpreted as you asking if they use a landline telephone, and they will say no, even though they have broadband over a landline, something they may be vague about the details of.

Same as the confusion about what ‘having NOW’ means; having, or being able to have, NOW streaming is not the same as having, or being able to have, NOW broadband, a distinction which many first-time posters here don’t realise they have to make when querying bills and other aspects of the services.

It’s alright for those of us who are used to this, and understand the technicalities, but lots of people don’t want to get on top of this; they just want it to work 😛

[Jayach]

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@RoyB wrote:
It’s alright for those of us who are used to this, and understand the technicalities, but lots of people don’t want to get on top of this; they just want it to work 

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That is so true, and it's difficult to say they are wrong, but a little knowledge really would save a lot of frustration.