BT to cut down charges for up to a million landline customers

British Telecom, a leading telecommunication giant has recently agreed to slash the amount it charges to landline-only customers by 37 percent.

Sources revealed that about one million customers subscribing to BT’s telephone service will see their once-a-month landline bills lowered by GBP 7 – GBP 11.99. This represents an annual saving of GBP 84, apparently.

BT’s move to cut down landline prices comes after the rising pressure from the telecom firm Ofcom, which is seeking to protect elderly and vulnerable people. For the record, Ofcom had raised concerns over the amount Britain’s dominant telecom service providers charge to the country’s landline-only customers. The regulator also criticized the telecom provider for giving “poor value” for money to the landline-only subscribers compared with those who buy package services including broadband and TV, cite sources.

If report statements are to be believed, Ofcom said that it stepped into this matter only due to the fact that bills for landline-only customers have soared exponentially, of which it said that more than two-third of customers were above 65 years of age, and more than 75% of these customers have never switched their telecom service provider. Moreover, Ofcom extended its focus on BT because the telecom company accounts for two-thirds of UK’s 1.5 million customers.

Ofcom’s competition group director, Jonathan Oxley, with respect to the elderly citizens that have been with BT for ages, quoted that “their landline is their lifeline.”  

Ofcom revealed it on October 26^th, that BT had agreed to the changes, which are likely to come into effect from April 2018. The regulator further said that in its analysis, all major landline providers had raised their line rental charges by 23% to 47% in recent years, however their cost of providing the service plunged by over 27%.

According to reports, Ofcom further expects its rivals who overcharge their customers to follow suit.