The short answer is yes, you can!
Most of the UK's broadband providers use the Openreach network to connect their customers to the internet. The Openreach network includes phone cables, street cabinets and telephone exchanges, and for standard broadband to run on these phone cables, it needs an active phone line.
However, more and more people are finding they don’t require a landline phone. Instead they prefer to use their smartphones as their main form of communication and line rental often falls to the wayside as an unnecessary cost.
Typically, line rental is included with your broadband package due to new rules from the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), which means that you now receive a single charge per month and no longer have to pay separately for line rental.
New rules from the ASA (31st of October 2016)
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All-inclusive monthly costs - no more separate line rental charges
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More obvious information about contract lengths and post-discount pricing
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More prominent explanations of upfront costs.
Part of the reason the line rental fee exists is due to BT Openreach owning the majority of the UK’s broadband infrastructure. Other providers, such as TalkTalk or Sky, use the BT Openreach wires and the landline fee that we all pay goes towards keeping them working and fixing any issues or faults.
No matter how niche, there are some providers offering broadband-only packages that don't require a phone line, we provide Satellite Broadband, and if you need an internet connection with a lower ping (for online games) then try our new product 4G Broadband.