This topic

Cancel broadband and keepn landline

Loobylu28 — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:24:37 GMT

I'm having massive issues trying to cancel broadband and just keep landline number. Did it via BT chat who messed it all up and cancelled everything....have spent a week trying to get that cancellation removed and to start again. Absolute nightmare and BT don't seem to know how to do it. Anyone else had similar?

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

WSH — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:50:46 GMT

Is it that you are trying to transfer the number to another provider, or are you trying to cancel broadband but keep the landline phone?

If the latter, then they are turning off the old "landline" phone system altogether in January, so I don't think just keeping the landline is do-able. It would need to be upgraded to Digital Voice (DV), which is part of the broadband connection.

If transferring the number to another provider, then I believe the gaining provider has to request that, so you will need to talk to them.

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

pddco — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:55:31 GMT

Are you wanting to keep your current BT phone service ( ie Digital Voice) but without their residential broadband service.

Oh, I see @WSH has responded better.

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

iniltous — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:09:08 GMT

The current price for a BT phone service on a PAYG basis ( without a broadband service associated with it ) is £31.20 , the cheapest BT broadband and phone on a PAYG basis is £31.99 so what’s the motivation for you doing this (wanting BT to supply a phone only service) , that’s assuming it isn’t saving a few pence per month ?

What you require , a new installation of a standalone phone service (not someone who historically already has a standalone phone service ) is no longer a common request , because the financial difference is minimal , and simply put it’s not just a case of disconnecting broadband and leaving a phone service in place , you would need to cancel your complete broadband and phone service as it is and then reorder as a phone only service ( that’s assuming you can an order for it raised given it’s an uncommon request that can’t be done online you need to call ) .

A new standalone phone service is problematic in its own right because you are not an existing phone only customer, so don’t qualify for a PDPL , that’s the way existing phone only customers are converted from PSTN onto a system than will last after Jan 2027 when PSTN telephony is switched off, it isn’t available to you as it’s for existing phone only customers not new ones .

The only other post on here I can recall, with a similar requirement to yours ( a new phone service without a linked broadband) was the customer was provided with BT broadband and DV (Digital Voice telephone) the broadband supplied without charge , but conditional on it never being used apart from hosting the DV telephone service , should the customer connect anything at all to the ‘internet’ either WiFi or wired Ethernet, then BT would start charging for the previously free broadband because the customer was clearly using it for ‘the internet’, if they only used DV and stringently never connected anything but a standard telephone (corded or DECT ) then broadband remained free.

..if you want this type of arrangement, good luck trying to arrange it , personally I’d think it not worth the hassle to save 70p a month .

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

Loobylu28 — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:07:07 GMT

According to BT the price for landline will be £12 approx. You don't have to be so sarcy in your answer thank you.

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

iniltous — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:10:14 GMT

Where do you get £12 a month from ?

https://www.bt.com/landline/deals

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

Loobylu28 — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:10:51 GMT

Also the issue is with BT not doing as requested regardless of the reasons for it.

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

Loobylu28 — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:12:13 GMT

They told me this on the phone and in online chat. Probably lying to me as with everything else so far.

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

Loobylu28 — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:14:30 GMT

It's just DV that I've requested to keep. This can be done..."regrade to home phone only" apparently

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

WSH — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:24:01 GMT

I believe it can but it still needs a very basic broadband connection, as iniltous mentioned.

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

iniltous — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:19:52 GMT

So are you genuinely getting rid of broadband completely or simply taking broadband from a different supplier , but want BT to keep delivering a phone service rather than taking a phone service from the new broadband supplier ?
Given most people who have had broadband couldn’t now do without it ( that’s clearly different to those that have never had broadband but do have a phone service ) how come you can do without broadband ? , that’s if you claim to be getting rid of broadband completely and are not simply taking broadband from someone other than BT

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

chrisjp — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:18:52 GMT

But you haven't explained why you want to cancel broadband but keep the phone service, given that it'll only save you a few pence per month.
Without that information, us fellow customers (you're not talking to BT) cannot engage with you.

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

garybs29 — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 16:38:09 GMT

@Loobylu28 Important question as well, which supplier you thinking of moving broadband too? Would need to be a non openreach supplier to keep DV only with BT

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

pddco — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 16:50:37 GMT

Can someone help in my understanding here… Digital Voice (DV) BT’s version of a VoIP service. Which, I’m not mistaken, has all the features of the outgoing PSTN service. So the experience is the same as the Plain Old Telephone Service ( POTS) we’ve grown up with.

When other companies offer Broadband and Voice services are they offering a ( rebadged?) BT DV service or is it something different? If you see what I mean….

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

WSH — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:47:45 GMT

It will be their own implementation of VoIP. For example, Sky Talk.

Edit: I've just checked with the Sky forum. Talk doesn't work on third-party equipment, the same as DV. It sounds as though they are both unique implementations of the more general VoIP.

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

Loobylu28 — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:50:37 GMT

Getting rid of it completely.

Re: Cancel broadband and keepn landline

iniltous — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 18:43:18 GMT

Getting rid completely in that no other broadband will exist at the address , or that an Openreach based broadband won’t exist but another network providers broadband will , which is it ?.

If no broadband at all from any provider, then your route to standalone telephony is cancel broadband and phone with BT , then (once both are ceased) reorder standalone telephony, the price is 70p cheaper than the cheapest broadband and phone deal BT offer , if you can establish that no broadband from any provider will be used at the address then you may qualify for a discount on the £31.20 price as a telephone only customer without any broadband at all from any source .

Given your previous posts it clear you use broadband extensively , so presumably this requirement to be a phone only customer to be credible must be for but a friend or relative not yourself.

Seemingly there isn’t a downgrade path that doesn’t result in a period of time without any service otherwise the attempts so far wouldn’t have been cancelled , in short you can’t just remove broadband to leave telephony as broadband is the primary service and by default removing broadband also removes anything service that is delivered ‘on top’ , you need effectively to order a standalone telephony service ,which in all likelihood means clearing any existing services over Openreach to the address first .