BT increases line rental charges

Commenting on BT's decision to increase its line rental by one pound per month, James Parker, broadband manager at moneysupermarket.com, said: "It was only two weeks ago that BT rewarded its customers with free calls to 0870 and 0845 numbers, but what they give with one hand they take with the other.

"At a time when households all across the UK are counting every penny, this increase will come as a blow. Although some customers can negate this increase by opting for paperless billing and paying by direct debit, the millions of customers who already do this will be worse off.

"This also affects the millions who just use BT for a line to access the internet via another provider. Our research has shown 87 per cent of people have not switched broadband in the last 12 months and as a result could be missing out on the reductions most major providers have been offering. If people are worried about the increased costs they should look around for a new deal."