A copper (PSTN) landline is the traditional phone line that runs over dedicated copper wires — simple, and it keeps working during a power cut because the line carries its own power. A fibre/VoIP landline delivers your calls as data over your broadband connection; the call quality is often clearer and the calling plans cheaper, and you get a normal landline number. The main trade-off is power: a VoIP line depends on your router and mains electricity, so it stops working in an outage unless you have a battery backup. Copper is winding down in many areas, so most new fixed lines are fibre/VoIP.f

It depends on your situation. A landline genuinely helps if your home has weak mobile signal, if you want a permanent number that never changes, if elderly family members prefer a simple reliable phone, or if you make lots of calls and want clear unlimited calling. If you're a light caller with strong mobile coverage, you may not need one — and we'll tell you that honestly rather than push a plan. Often the deciding factor is cost: because a line is frequently included with fibre broadband, keeping one can be nearly free.

Frequently, yes — or close to it. Many fibre broadband plans from Jio, Airtel, BSNL and others bundle a calling line with unlimited local and STD calls at no extra charge or for a small add-on. This is exactly where people waste money: they keep paying for a separate standalone landline while their broadband plan already includes one. Before you buy or renew anything, we check what your current (or prospective) broadband plan includes, so you only pay for calling you're not already getting.

Often you can retain a long-held number, especially when staying with the same provider or moving to their fibre service, and number continuity is something we always try to preserve because a familiar home number has real value. Portability between different landline operators is more limited than mobile number portability and depends on the providers, your area and current rules. Tell us the number you want to keep and we'll check what's realistically possible before you commit.

Not on its own. Because a VoIP line runs through your broadband router, it needs mains power and a working internet connection — in a power cut, both usually go down, so the line stops until power returns (a router battery backup or UPS can bridge short outages). A traditional copper line, by contrast, keeps working independently of your home's electricity. If uninterrupted phone service during outages is your main reason for a landline — for example for elderly relatives or emergencies — that's an important point, and we factor it into the recommendation. A charged mobile is always a sensible backup too. Prices and plan terms here are illustrative and change often; this is general guidance, and we confirm current offers with the provider. For the broadband that a fibre line rides on, see our Home Internet pages.