Press & PR

UK telecoms provider BT has announced today that it will increase the cost of line rental by seven per cent, as well as increasing the price of daytime calls by 23 per cent.

BT customers will now be paying a monthly line rental charge £11.75 a month, with UK landline calls costing 4p per minute during the daytime.

Although BT has announced that customers will now receive free evening and weekend calls, a spokesperson admitted that some customers could lose out.

Speaking to This Is Money, the spokesperson asserted that "obviously some customers will end up paying more. Those with just a line connection will have to pay more."

He said it was "difficult to say" whether BT would benefit from an increase in revenue from the price hike.

Many people are currently finding that internet phone services such as those offered by Vonage are providing cheaper alternatives to analogue call rates.

BT has also come under pressure from broadband competitor Virgin Media's announcement that it will offer a free speed upgrade for all its existing customers, allowing access to 10MB connections.

Vonage's V-Plan 1 uses an existing internet connection to offer unlimited evening and weekend calls throughout the UK for £5.99 a month.