Do you need a phone line to get the nbn®? (2024)

Does home internet still need a landline?

Remember when you could either be online or contactable by phone – but not both? Communications technology has come a long way since the days of your home phone sharing a line with your internet connection.

With the arrival of the nbn®, particularly fibre to the premises (FTTP) in many areas, people are beginning to wonder about the need for traditional phone lines.

Do you still need a landline to access the internet at home? Let’s find out.

Do you need a separate phone line for nbn®?

No, you don’t need a separate phone line to access the nbn®.

That was the case with dial-up, when your internet connection was provided on the same copper wires that your phone line used.

These days, broadband is either all fibre or a mix of fibre and copper. The copper part is only used for its digital (internet) part, not a mix of landline/phone and digital internet. We have newer technologies now, with the nbn® rolling out faster fibre to most Aussie homes and businesses.

While you don’t need to pay for a separate phone line to access the internet, there are some older nbn® technologies that utilise your existing phone socket (without an adaptor) to connect your home to the internet.

This means that if you’re connected to one of these technologies, you’ll need to keep your existing landline:

• Fibre-to-the-Curb (FTTC)
• Fibre-to-the-Building (FTTB), and
• Fibre-to-the-Node (FTTN).

This line provides not only your internet connectivity but also regular voice calls.

However, unlike the early days of home internet, you are able to use the phone and the internet at the same time.

If you’re connected with a newer technology, like Fibre to the Premise, you do not require a phone line.

Some nbn® technologies, like Fixed Wireless and satellite, do not require a physical phone line for internet access either. These options use wireless connections to provide broadband access without the need for a landline.

What happens to my landline now?

It’s up to you whether you keep your landline or disconnect it completely, but check the cost.

As technology advances, the future of traditional landline phones is in doubt. With the growth of mobile devices and internet-based communication, the landline has lost relevance and many people are choosing to disconnect.

If you are switching to FTTP or other nbn® connections that don’t use copper phone lines, you can decide if you’d like to keep your landline.

Some people may decide to keep their landline for sentimental reasons or as a backup communication method. Others may terminate their landline service entirely, preferring the convenience and flexibility of mobile and internet-based options. Many millennials, and subsequent generations, have never had their own landline, having had mobile phones from when they were quite young.

It’s worth checking whether your internet provider also offers a landline service and what the additional cost is, to see whether it’s really worth it to you.

What if I still want a landline?

Of course, you can be connected to the nbn® and still have a home phone line. You can opt to have both the nbn® and a landline service, though it works differently with fibre.

Certain nbn® plans include a VoIP (voice over internet protocol) service, which is a digital phone service that functions through your nbn® connection. The one drawback to this option is that, unlike traditional landlines, you will not be able to use a VoIP during a power outage.