Best home phone & internet bundles in Australia

Can you bundle a phone with your NBN internet?

Phone and internet bundles used to be super common - these days they're still available, but they're rare. Lots of internet providers will offer an option to bundle a phone line, but very few have NBN plans that automatically include phone calls - Telstra key among them.

For the most part, providers will instead offer you the option to add a call pack to your NBN plan if you want to get a landline to make phone calls. Expect to pay around $5 to $20 extra a month on top of your NBN plan if you'd like a landline.

How phone and internet bundles are charged

The landline phone options with NBN plans generally fall under these categories:

• Pay as you go calls. You get a phone line, but there's no additional cost per month for a call pack. Instead, you only pay for the calls you make. Rates vary between providers, but expect to pay around 10-20 cents to another landline number or 20-35 cents a minute to mobile numbers. This is a handy feature to have with your internet provider if you don't expect to make a lot of calls but would like the option to just in case.
• Unlimited standard calls. You can purchase call packs that allow some combination of unlimited calls to local landline, national and mobile phone numbers in Australia. Costs will vary from provider to provider but expect to pay around $5-15 a month on top of your regular internet plan.
• International call packs. Some providers also offer additional call packs where you can get unlimited calls to overseas numbers for a fixed cost per month. Certain providers only allow unlimited international calls to landline numbers, while others also include mobiles.

Which internet providers offer a home phone line?

This list contains all the NBN providers on Finder that offer either a specific home phone and internet bundle or the option to add on a call pack each month.

What is the best home phone and internet bundle?

The best home phone and internet bundle will differ person-to-person depending on what their needs are.

Call packs and call rates can vary greatly and could have any combination of local, national, mobile or international calls included. Make sure you check what's offered and if it meets your requirements.

What is included in a home phone and internet bundle?

In most cases, a home phone and internet bundle will include the following:

• • • Connection to the NBN at the speed of your choice. In a small number of instances, some providers may only offer a home phone bundle on specific NBN speed tiers.
    • Unlimited data. Some NBN plans might have data limits, but there should also be an unlimited data option available for you to bundle a home phone with.
    • A calling package that usually involves unlimited calls to standard phones and mobiles in Australia.
    • The option to add overseas calls. Usually there will be a limited number of countries included in this option, and the list of countries will vary by provider. Not all providers give the option for international calls though.
    • One combined bill each month for phone and internet with a consistent cost.
    • A home phone number for your phone line (unless you want to transfer an old one across).

"I must be one of the few Aussies that have gone back to having a landline bundled with their internet. I set it up partly for novelty, but it's actually been really useful to call home if someone's mobile is on silent. It was a bit of a pain to setup - most phone lines only operate through VOIP nowadays, so I needed to get a dedicated box to convert the rotary pulse dial to a touch tone signal that my modem would understand. It was fun and worth it though."

Tim Bennett

Insurance expert

Do I still need a home phone?

Honestly? Most Aussies don't need a home phone anymore. Mobile phones have all but replaced the functionality of home phones, and are with us most of the day. It's probably more likely that you'll bundle a mobile phone with your NBN than a home phone these days.

The old argument used to go that landlines were important in emergencies, because they'd still work in a blackout. However, that hasn't been the case for ages. Home phone don't use the plain old copper lines anymore, they connect via the internet through your modem, so if there's no power, there's no home phone. Also, cordless phones never worked without power.

NBN battery backups do exist, which can get you through a couple of hours without power, but beyond that you'll be in the dark. All that to say, mobile phones are a better way to access both phone and internet services in an emergency.

If you are currently using a landline phone a lot, or really feel like it would make your life better, go for it. Otherwise, you probably don't need one.

What other internet bundles are there?

Aside from bundling your home phone and your NBN plan, you could consider other ways to bundle your internet to potentially save money and be with the one provider for multiple services.

• Energy and NBN bundles. Bundling electricity, gas and internet from the same company can sometimes get you a discount.
• NBN and mobile bundles. Some companies, such as Vodafone, give you a discount for having both your mobile and NBN with the same provider.
• TV and internet bundles. Whether you prefer Fetch TV or Foxtel there are plenty of providers offering to package your entertainment and internet for a discount.

Frequently asked questions

• Can I still have a landline phone with the NBN?

  Yes, you can still have a landline phone with the NBN. Landline phones work through the NBN though, so if power or the internet goes down, you won't be able to use your landline.

• Do NBN plans include phone calls?

  Only Telstra's NBN plans include landline phone calls. With other providers, you'll have to pay extra per month to have these included. It's normally not very expensive to get unlimited calls though, typically around $10 a month or so.

• Do I need NBN for home phone only?

  You don't need an NBN internet plan if you only want a home phone. Some providers just offer home phone only plans, such as Telstra and Optus.

  Your home phone will most likely use the NBN to make calls, but you don't have to pay for data if you don't need or want to use the internet.

  In most cases, if you take up a telephone service on the NBN network, you can't move back to the old copper network unless your home is connected to NBN fixed wireless.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Mariam Gabaji as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Mark Neilsen

Journalist

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Mark Neilsen is a journalist with over 20 years of experience specialising in the evolving landscape of entertainment and communications. He has contributed to Yahoo Finance, The New Daily, and news.com.au, and was an editor at The Drum Media and The Music. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media Studies from Charles Sturt University. Mark was a TV Streaming and Utilities Writer at Finder from 2022 to 2024. See full bio

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