How To Get Internet Without a Phone Line or Cable TV

If you want to get Wi-Fi without cable TV or a phone line, you’re in luck. There are plenty of options.

Many cable TV companies—like Spectrum and Comcast—used to sell internet plans bundled with TV packages. Residential telephone companies—like AT&T—used the same strategy. But those kinds of bundles are rarer these days.

Most internet services are sold as standalone plans now. Many companies don’t even require you to sign a contract, so you can get a home internet plan without worrying about being stuck with a huge bill for years to come.

In short, it’s easy to get internet without TV or phone service. With advances in wireless technology, you can get connected even if there are zero wires or cables connecting your home to any wider grid or infrastructure. There are many different options, some of which are easier to set up than others.

We’ll go over all of the different kinds of internet, including the pros and cons of each, right here. Let’s start with the newest and, for many, the easiest kind of high-speed internet: 5G.

5G home internet is fast, affordable, and user-friendly wireless internet. It is, in most cases, the easiest, quickest, and cheapest way to get a high-speed internet connection. It doesn’t require cables, wires, or other preexisting infrastructure. Once you sign up, you receive a wireless modem/router in the mail (or pick it up at a store), and you can install it yourself in about fifteen minutes!

There are three major companies that currently offer 5G home internet service: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. You might recognize the names because they all offer cell phone service and standard, wired internet plans.

There are advantages to each company, but we think that T-Mobile 5G Home Internet offers the best alternative for those who want internet without a phone line or cable TV. That’s because it has super fast download speeds, a great reputation with customers, and it’s available in much of the country, including rural areas.

Meanwhile, Verizon’s 5G internet service is much more limited in range, but it does offer unbeatable speeds in the cities where it's available. And AT&T’s 5G service is a decent alternative for those who already have AT&T cell phone service (there’s a big discount for existing customers).

This chart shows the different speeds and costs of each 5G standalone internet plan.

As you can see, all three 5G providers share some admirable qualities: Reasonable prices, no contracts, and unlimited data. And all three also supply plenty of bandwidth for streaming Netflix, working from home, and living your best online life on multiple devices at once.

But there is one major price factor that you should consider when it comes to picking 5G Home Internet. Each of the three major providers offer steep discounts to customers who bundle internet and mobile service together. For example, if you have a T-Mobile unlimited data cell phone plan, you can get up to $20 off your internet bill every month!

Fiber sets the gold standard for high-performance internet. It offers the fastest speeds, best reliability, and generally low prices for residential customers.

Fiber internet is different from cable internet, which uses the same cables as TV companies, and DSL internet, which uses phone lines. Instead, it uses fiber-optic cables that are much more efficient. However, that does mean that you have to live in an area where there’s already a fiber-optic network, and it may require professional installation.

There are many great fiber internet providers. Usually, there is only one fiber internet provider in any given city or town. But, if you have a choice, we like AT&T fiber for its low prices, new-customer deals, and wide availability. Here’s a closer look at some of the top internet-only fiber plans on the market.

With prices starting around $50 a month—or less—fiber is generally the cheapest way to get home internet without cable or a phone line. But keep in mind that there are sometimes equipment and installation fees that you have to pay on top of the standard monthly rate.

If you live in a truly rural area or in a mobile home, then satellite internet might be the best service for you. Satellite internet is wireless internet available in every corner of the globe, and its plans don’t require a phone line, cable, or any other infrastructure. Just hook up your dish, and you can get a signal anywhere.

There are three major satellite internet companies on the market. Starlink offers the best performance overall. The company’s satellite technology allows faster speeds and lower latency than other companies. Its standalone internet plans are expensive, but for those who want the best, it’s a no brainer.

The other big satellite providers in the United States are Viasat and HughesNet. Both offer internet only plans that can get you speeds up to 100 Mbps. But we tend to prefer Viasat because its has better equipment and its stronger overall performance. Here’s a look at all three satellite companies’ plans and prices.

Satellite internet equipment can cost hundreds (or thousands) of dollars. In some cases, like with Starlink, you may need to buy your dish and gateway. If you choose to rent the equipment, that can also add up.

You can easily sign up for satellite internet online. Once you sign up, you receive a dish that can be installed on your house, RV, or other location. With that dish, you get great Wi-Fi without cables or any other wires. Satellite internet generally provides enough speed for streaming and browsing on several devices, though it can struggle with certain tasks, like video conferencing.

You don’t need a cable TV subscription to get cable internet. In fact, many customers get standalone internet plans from big cable companies like Xfinity, Spectrum, and Cox.

Cable internet gives customers a fast and reliable connection. The prices are usually competitive, though it depends on where you live.

There are many cable internet companies out there, offering a huge range of speeds, prices, and contracts. In many areas, Xfinity offers the most bang for your buck and a ton of new-customer deals, but it’s hardly the only game in town. Here’s a look at what we think are some of the best deals in the cable internet market.

Many homes are already equipped for cable internet. Even if you’ve never had a cable internet or cable TV subscription, it’s possible that a previous resident did. You’ll need to check with the cable providers in your area to see.

Signing up for cable internet is easy. Once you’ve signed up online or in a store, you can either install the equipment yourself or wait for professional installation. If you choose to self install, it’s usually just a matter of plugging in a modem and router device to a cable port in your wall.

DSL shouldn’t be your first choice, but it works in a pinch.

DSL internet is one of the oldest kinds of internet connections. It runs through landline phone infrastructure, but you can still get DSL internet without a phone plan. (Don’t worry—it’s not dial-up.) You just have to sign up through a DSL internet provider, like CenturyLink or Frontier.

There aren’t too many DSL internet providers left these days. Many companies with wide DSL networks have started pushing newer alternatives, like 5G. CenturyLink has fiber plans available along with its DSL option. But here’s a look at some plans from the top companies that still offer DSL to new customers.

DSL plan prices skew higher than many fiber internet, 5G, and cable internet plans listed in this article. But DSL offers way less: Slower speeds (DSL can’t really go much above 50Mbps), spottier reliability, and sometimes even long term contracts.

In short, we don’t recommend DSL unless it’s the only option. In many rural areas, DSL used to be the only game in town, but 5G home internet offered by companies like T-Mobile is starting to change that.

If a more traditional internet setup is not in the cards for you, you can always try a Wi-Fi hotspot. This portable internet connection provides an alternative option to connect you to the internet—and they can often be obtained through the smartphone you already own.

We like to back up everything we write with verifiable data and feedback from real customers. For this article about getting internet without a phone line or cable, we began by looking at all of the different kinds of internet service. We examined which ones offered standalone internet plans and then found the best providers in each category.

We chose our top providers based on the following criteria.

1. Internet performance (speed and reliability)
2. Price
3. Availability
4. Ease of installation and set up
5. Customer service recommendation

We hope that we helped you find the perfect Wi-Fi plan for your household. Please let us know if we missed anything by clicking on the Contact Us button below.