How to Keep Your Landline Without a Landline

For more than a century, the traditional UK landline has been a household essential. But that is changing rapidly. As the nationwide PSTN and ISDN switch-off continues, millions of copper phone lines are being retired and replaced with newer digital technologies. At the same time, many homeowners are moving to alternative internet services such as Starlink, 4G, 5G and fibre-only broadband connections that don’t include a traditional phone line.

The challenge is that while many people no longer need a physical landline, they still want to keep their existing home phone number. Whether it’s a number you’ve had for decades, a contact number used by family and friends, or simply a number you don’t want to lose, giving it up isn’t always an option.

The good news is that you can keep your landline without a landline. By moving your number to a VoIP service, you can retain your existing home phone number and receive calls over the internet from just £4 per month.

With Plexatalk, you can keep your existing landline number from just £4 per month, including 100 outbound minutes every month. You can then choose how you want to use it, whether that’s with a home phone handset, an app on your mobile, call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, or a combination of all four.

In this guide, we’ll explain exactly how to keep your landline without a landline, who needs to do it, and the different options available depending on your broadband setup and how you want to receive calls.

What Does “Keeping Your Landline Without a Landline” Mean?

When people hear the phrase “keep your landline without a landline”, it can sound confusing. After all, isn’t a landline a physical phone line connected to your home?

Traditionally, yes. A landline number was tied to a copper telephone line running from your property to the local telephone exchange. That infrastructure powered both your phone service and, in many cases, your broadband connection.

However, the UK’s landline network is being retired as part of the nationwide PSTN and ISDN switch-off. This means the physical copper phone line is no longer needed to make or receive calls.

Instead, your phone number can be moved to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service. Your number stays exactly the same, but calls are carried over your internet connection rather than a traditional telephone line.

From the caller’s perspective, nothing changes. Family members, friends, healthcare providers, schools, banks and businesses can continue calling the same number they’ve always used. The only difference is what happens behind the scenes.

This gives you much more flexibility. Your number is no longer tied to a specific property, allowing you to receive calls on a desk phone, mobile app, computer, or even have calls automatically forwarded to your mobile phone.

For many households, it’s the simplest and most cost-effective way to keep an existing home phone number while moving to modern broadband services such as fibre, Starlink, 4G or 5G.

Traditional Landline	VoIP Landline
Copper phone line	Internet connection
Monthly line rental	No line rental
Fixed to one property	Can be used anywhere
Often expensive calling plans	Low-cost monthly plans
Requires physical phone service	Can work with phones, apps or call forwarding

Why More People Are Looking for Alternatives to Traditional Landlines

More people than ever are looking for ways to keep their landline without a landline. While traditional phone services once made perfect sense, changing technology and the UK’s move towards digital communications mean many households are now exploring more flexible and cost-effective alternatives.

Save Money Every Month

One of the biggest reasons people switch away from traditional landlines is cost. In many cases, households end up paying for multiple services they don’t really need.

For example, if you’re moving to Starlink, a 4G or 5G broadband service, or another independent internet provider, you may find yourself paying for:

• Your internet connection
• A traditional phone line or line rental
• Additional Digital Voice services from your broadband provider

These costs can quickly add up. By moving your number to a VoIP service such as Plexatalk, you can keep your existing home phone number without paying for an unnecessary phone line. Plans start from just £4 per month, including 100 outbound minutes, making it a much more affordable way to stay connected.

Use Your Number Wherever You Are

Unlike a traditional landline that is tied to a specific property, a VoIP number can travel with you.

You can choose to receive calls:

• On a home phone handset
• On your mobile phone
• Through a smartphone app
• On a laptop or desktop computer
• Across multiple devices at the same time

Whether you’re at home, in the garden, visiting family, or even on holiday, you can stay connected to your home number wherever you have an internet connection.

Keep Your Number for Life

Many people have had the same home phone number for years or even decades. It’s the number friends, family members, doctors, schools, banks and local businesses already know.

With a VoIP service, your number is no longer tied to your address. If you move house, switch broadband providers, or relocate to another part of the country, you can continue using the same number without interruption.

That means no lengthy update process, no missed calls, and no need to tell everyone you’ve changed your phone number.

The PSTN & ISDN Switch-Off Explained

One of the biggest reasons people are searching for ways to keep their landline without a landline is the UK’s ongoing PSTN and ISDN switch-off programme.

The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) have formed the backbone of the UK’s phone network for decades. These technologies were designed long before modern internet services became the norm and rely on ageing copper infrastructure that is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain.

To modernise the UK’s communications network, traditional phone services are being replaced with internet-based alternatives. Instead of calls travelling over copper telephone lines, they are now carried using digital technologies such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).

As part of this transition, traditional landline services are being retired nationwide. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll lose your phone number, but it does mean the way your calls are delivered is changing.

Adding further pressure is Openreach’s stop-sell programme. In areas where full fibre broadband is available, providers are no longer permitted to sell many legacy copper-based services. This means customers moving home, changing providers, upgrading services, or making certain account changes may find that traditional phone products are no longer available.

The long-term goal is clear: the UK’s copper network is gradually being switched off and replaced with faster, more reliable fibre-based infrastructure. While this brings significant benefits for broadband performance and network reliability, it also means households need to think about what happens to their home phone number.

For many people, moving their number to a VoIP service is the simplest solution. It allows them to keep their existing landline number while becoming independent of the ageing copper network and future-proofing their service for years to come.

Further Reading:

• PSTN Switch-Off Guide

How VoIP Lets You Keep Your Landline Number

The simplest way to keep your landline without a landline is by moving your existing phone number to a VoIP service.

VoIP, which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, allows phone calls to be made and received over an internet connection rather than through a traditional copper telephone line. Instead of your number being tied to a physical line entering your property, it becomes a cloud-based service that can be used wherever you have access to the internet.

The process starts with a number port. This is where your existing landline number is transferred from your current provider to a VoIP provider. Once the port is complete, your number remains exactly the same. Family, friends, businesses and organisations can continue calling you on the number they’ve always used, without needing to update their records.

The difference is that calls are no longer delivered through a traditional landline. Instead, incoming and outgoing calls are routed securely over the internet.

This gives you far more flexibility than a traditional phone service ever could.

You can choose to:

• Use a dedicated VoIP home phone handset
• Receive calls on your mobile phone
• Use a smartphone app
• Make and receive calls on a computer
• Forward calls to another number
• Send calls directly to voicemail
• Receive voicemail messages by email

Because the service operates over the internet, there’s no need for a traditional BT phone line or any other copper-based landline service. You also don’t need to purchase a Digital Voice service from your broadband provider simply to keep your home phone number.

This is particularly useful for people switching to Starlink, 4G broadband, 5G broadband, full fibre services, or any setup where a traditional phone line is no longer required.

With Plexatalk, you can transfer your existing geographic landline number and keep it active from just £4 per month, including 100 outbound minutes every month. Once your number has been moved, you can decide exactly how you want to use it, whether that’s with a traditional handset, a mobile app, call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, or a combination of services.

In short, VoIP allows you to keep the number you know and trust, while gaining the flexibility and convenience of a modern phone service that isn’t tied to a physical landline.

Common Scenarios Where People Want to Keep Their Landline Without a Landline

There are many reasons why homeowners choose to keep their landline without a landline. In most cases, people no longer need a traditional phone line, but they still want to keep the number they’ve had for years.

Here are some of the most common situations where moving a number to VoIP makes perfect sense.

Moving to Starlink

One of the fastest-growing reasons people look for a landline alternative is because they’re switching to Starlink.

Many rural properties struggle with slow broadband speeds, unreliable copper lines, or limited fibre availability. Starlink provides a high-speed internet connection without relying on traditional phone infrastructure, making it an attractive option for homes that have been poorly served by Openreach networks.

The challenge is that Starlink doesn’t provide a traditional landline service. If you cancel your existing phone line without making arrangements for your number, you could lose it permanently.

By porting your number to Plexatalk before cancelling your landline, you can continue receiving calls exactly as before while enjoying the benefits of Starlink broadband.

Related Guide: How to Keep Your Landline Number with Starlink

Switching to Three 5G Home Broadband

Many households are replacing traditional broadband with Three Home Broadband because it can offer faster speeds, lower costs, and quicker installation.

Unlike older broadband services, 5G home broadband doesn’t require a phone socket or copper telephone line. You simply connect a router to the mobile network and access the internet wirelessly.

While this is great for broadband, it creates a problem for anyone wanting to keep their home phone number.

Rather than paying for a separate landline service, you can move your number to a VoIP platform and continue using it over your new broadband connection.

Related Guide: Keep Landline with Three Home Broadband

Moving to EE, Vodafone or O2 5G Broadband

Three isn’t the only provider attracting customers away from traditional landlines.

EE, Vodafone and O2 all offer home broadband services that use 4G or 5G mobile networks rather than fixed phone lines. These services are often ideal for renters, rural properties, temporary accommodation, and anyone looking for a simple broadband setup.

However, like Starlink and Three, they don’t provide a traditional copper-based phone service.

Moving your number to Plexatalk allows you to keep your existing home phone number regardless of which broadband provider you choose.

Cancelling Your BT Landline

Many people discover they’re paying for a landline they rarely use.

Perhaps all calls now happen on mobile phones, or maybe you’ve upgraded to full fibre broadband and no longer need a traditional phone service.

The problem is that cancelling a BT landline without first moving the number will usually result in the number being disconnected and eventually lost.

Porting the number to a VoIP service before cancelling allows you to retain ownership of the number while reducing your monthly costs significantly.

This is becoming an increasingly popular option for homeowners looking to simplify their bills while keeping an important family contact number.

Moving House

Moving home has traditionally meant reviewing broadband, phone and utility services.

While it may be possible to transfer a landline to a new property, there can be restrictions depending on the location, provider and network infrastructure available at the new address.

With VoIP, your number is no longer tied to a physical property.

You can move house anywhere in the UK and continue using the same number without interruption. As soon as you have an internet connection, your phone service works exactly as before.

This eliminates the hassle of notifying everyone that you’ve changed your contact details.

Holiday Homes and Second Properties

Many people own holiday homes, caravans, lodges or second properties where they want a local phone number but don’t want to pay for a full landline service.

A VoIP number provides an ideal solution.

You can keep an existing local number active, receive calls wherever you are, and avoid paying for unnecessary line rental at a property that may only be occupied part of the year.

Calls can be answered on a mobile phone, through an app, or forwarded to another number when you’re away.

Supporting Elderly Relatives

For many older people, a familiar landline number is important.

Friends, family members, healthcare providers and local services often already have the number saved, and changing it can cause confusion.

VoIP makes it possible to keep that familiar number while adding modern features that improve reliability and convenience.

For example, calls can ring both a home phone and a family member’s mobile phone at the same time. Voicemails can be sent directly to email, and call forwarding can ensure important calls are never missed.

This allows elderly relatives to keep the number they’ve used for years while benefiting from the flexibility of modern communications technology.

Different Ways to Use Your Number After Switching

One of the biggest advantages of moving your landline number to VoIP is flexibility. Unlike a traditional landline that only works through a phone socket in your home, a VoIP number can be used in several different ways depending on your needs.

Whether you want a familiar home phone experience or prefer to manage everything from your mobile, you can choose the setup that works best for you.

Option 1: Use a Traditional Home Phone Handset

If you still like having a phone on the hall table or kitchen counter, you can continue using a physical handset just as you always have.

There are two common ways to do this:

• Connect an IP phone directly to your internet router.
• Use an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter) to connect an existing telephone to your VoIP service.

From the user’s perspective, very little changes. You continue making and receiving calls using a traditional handset while benefiting from the flexibility of internet-based calling.

This option is particularly popular with households that prefer the familiarity of a conventional home phone.

Option 2: Forward Calls to Your Mobile

Not everyone wants a dedicated home phone.

With call forwarding, incoming calls to your landline number can automatically ring your mobile phone instead.

This means:

• You’ll never miss an important call.
• You can answer calls wherever you are.
• There’s no need for a separate handset.
• Family and friends can continue calling the same home number.

For many households, this is the simplest way to keep a landline number active without any additional hardware.

Option 3: Voicemail to Email

Voicemail has come a long way from the days of checking messages through a home answering machine.

With voicemail-to-email, any missed calls can leave a message that is automatically delivered to your email inbox as an audio file.

Benefits include:

• Listen to messages anywhere.
• Access voicemail from your phone, tablet or computer.
• Keep a record of important messages.
• No need to dial into a voicemail system.

It’s a convenient way to ensure you never miss important information.

Option 4: Use a VoIP Mobile App

A VoIP mobile app allows you to use your landline number directly from your smartphone.

You can:

• Receive calls made to your home number.
• Make calls using your landline number as the caller ID.
• Stay connected wherever you have an internet connection.
• Avoid carrying a separate phone.

This is an ideal solution for people who want the convenience of a mobile phone while keeping their established home number.

Option 5: Ring Multiple Devices Simultaneously

Why choose a single device when you can use several at once?

With VoIP, incoming calls can ring multiple devices simultaneously, including:

• Your mobile phone
• A home phone handset
• A tablet
• A desktop softphone

The first device you answer takes the call.

This feature is particularly useful for busy households, home workers, or anyone who wants maximum flexibility. Whether you’re in the office, relaxing at home, or out and about, you can make sure important calls are always answered.

Why Paying for Your Broadband Provider’s Digital Voice Isn’t Always Necessary

As traditional landlines disappear, many broadband providers are encouraging customers to move to services such as BT Digital Voice, Sky Talk, Vodafone Digital Voice and similar internet-based phone products.

While these services can be a convenient option, many people assume they’re the only way to keep their existing landline number. In reality, that’s often not the case.

In many situations, you can port your landline number away from your broadband provider and move it to an independent VoIP service instead. Once the number has been transferred, it operates separately from your broadband connection, giving you far more freedom and flexibility.

This means you’re no longer tied to a particular broadband provider simply because you want to keep your phone number.

For example, if you decide to switch from BT to Vodafone, move from fibre to Starlink, or replace your fixed broadband with a 5G service, your phone number can stay exactly where it is. There’s no need to move your number every time you change internet provider.

There are several advantages to this approach:

• Greater flexibility when choosing broadband providers
• Easier switching between internet services
• Independence from broadband provider phone products
• Access to advanced features such as call forwarding, voicemail-to-email and mobile apps
• Potentially lower monthly costs

For many households, separating their phone number from their broadband service is a smarter long-term solution. Rather than having their number tied to a specific provider’s Digital Voice platform, they can keep control of their number and use it however they choose.

With Plexatalk, your number becomes independent of your broadband provider, allowing you to keep your existing landline number while retaining the freedom to switch internet services whenever it suits you.

How Much Does It Cost?

One of the biggest advantages of moving your number to VoIP is that it can cost significantly less than maintaining a traditional landline or paying for additional Digital Voice services from your broadband provider.

Plexatalk home VoIP plans start from just £4 per month and are designed specifically for residential customers who want to keep their existing landline number while benefiting from modern calling features.

The entry-level plan includes:

• Keep your existing landline number
• 100 outbound minutes to UK landlines and mobiles
• Incoming calls
• Voicemail
• Free number portability
• Caller ID
• Call forwarding
• Flexible call routing
• Rolling monthly contract with no long-term commitment

If you want to continue using your existing home phone handset, an optional adapter is available, allowing you to connect your current telephone to the service.

Unlike traditional phone services, there is no need to pay for a separate phone line or expensive calling package simply to keep your number active. Instead, your number works over your existing internet connection, whether that’s fibre broadband, Starlink, 4G, 5G or another internet service.

For full details of all available packages, included minutes and optional features, see our pricing page.

How to Move Your Landline Number to Plexatalk

Moving your existing landline number to Plexatalk is straightforward and usually takes just a few simple steps.

Step 1: Choose Your Plan

Select the Plexatalk home VoIP package that best suits your needs. Plans start from just £4 per month and include features such as incoming calls, voicemail, call forwarding and included outbound minutes.

Step 2: Submit Your Number Transfer Request

Once you’ve signed up, you’ll be asked whether you want to keep your existing phone number. Simply provide a few details about your current service and complete the required number porting paperwork.

If you’re unsure about anything, the Plexatalk team can help guide you through the process.

Step 3: Your Number Is Transferred

Plexatalk will arrange the transfer of your number from your current provider. In most cases, ports complete within one to two weeks, depending on the provider and whether the number has been transferred before. During this process, you’ll be kept informed of progress and any important dates.

Step 4: Start Receiving Calls

Once the transfer is complete, your number becomes active on Plexatalk. You can then choose how you want to use it, whether that’s through a home phone handset, a mobile app, call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, or multiple devices at the same time.

Your number stays the same. The traditional landline disappears. And you continue receiving calls exactly as before.

Keep Your Landline Without a Landline – FAQs

Keep Your Number, Ditch the Landline

The way we make and receive calls is changing. Traditional copper landlines are being retired, Openreach stop-sell rules are affecting legacy services, and more households are moving to fibre, Starlink, 4G and 5G broadband connections that don’t support traditional phone lines.

But while the technology behind your phone service is changing, your phone number doesn’t have to.

By moving your number to VoIP, you can keep your existing landline number, continue receiving calls from family and friends, and gain access to modern features such as call forwarding, voicemail-to-email and mobile apps. Better still, your number is no longer tied to a particular property or broadband provider, giving you complete flexibility for the future.

Whether you’re switching to Starlink, moving home, cancelling your BT landline, or simply preparing for the PSTN switch-off, Plexatalk makes it easy to keep your landline without a landline.

Ready to keep your landline number without paying for a traditional phone line? Explore Plexatalk’s home VoIP plans from just £4 per month and keep the number you’ve had for years while gaining more flexibility than ever before.