BT announce price hikes

[Simon]

BT has announced price increases for millions of households signed up to its landline and broadband services.

The company, which supplies 10 million households, said landline charges will rise by £1 a month, or 5.5%, to almost £19, while the cost of the popular Unlimited Anytime Calls package will jump from £7.95 to £8.50 - a 6.9% increase.

Broadband prices are going up in most cases. The average price for Infinity will go up £2.05 and the standard price for copper broadband will jump from £13 to £15.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/technology/bt-announces-price-hikes-for-landline-and-broadband-customers-34670205.html

[Clive]

It's the second increase within the space of a year.  So no doubt we will all have to pay more?     This is to fund BT Sports etc. 

[Steve]

As I understand if the BT price rise occurs during a minimum term contract you are allowed to leave without penalty, obviously you've got to look at set up charges should you switch.

[zappaDPJ]

That's a big hike given the current financial climate. I'm starting to agree with the MP who wants to scrap line rental charges for broadband users.

[peasblossom]

I presume new prices will be on the website soon-ish then? (I'm considering a swap to one of the newer packages so a compare and contrast will be of interest.)

[Simon]

Isn't it wholesale prices which affect providers such as IDNet?   I could be wrong, but the way I read it was that it applies to BT's own customers, who use their landline and broadband services. 

[Tacitus]

Isn't it wholesale prices which affect providers such as IDNet?   I could be wrong, but the way I read it was that it applies to BT's own customers, who use their landline and broadband services. 

I read it the same way on TBB Simon - that it applies to BT Retail rather than wholesale customers.  Nonetheless I can imagine that where BT go the rest will follow, although they may not hike the prices quite as much.

[mervl]

I read it the same way on TBB Simon - that it applies to BT Retail rather than wholesale customers.  Nonetheless I can imagine that where BT go the rest will follow, although they may not hike the prices quite as much.

It's the wonders of competition, UK style, that our regulators love so much! The old saying "if you can't convince them, confuse them". Cheap as chips "broadband", so they all have to make up the money somewhere, and not being too clever, "line rental", for which BT usually take the blame.  Hands up who knows what the actual wholesale prices are that are charged to our ISP? Thought not. Who sets it and how? Two fails then, for us consumers. The only thing one can say is that the ISPs and us customers probably deserve each other!

[nowster]

There are (were) separate charges from BT Wholesale:

• DSLAM port charge
• User bandwidth class charge
• Backhaul charge (usually subsumed into the above)
• Handover point charge

How it works nowadays, I haven't a clue. The killer amount was often the handover point charge as on many schemes it had a bandwidth used element. I'm so glad I'm not working in that area any more.

[mervl]

ISPR are reporting that TalkTalk have jumped and are proposing a single "package price" from this autumn. (No, not that jump that everybody thought, or hoped for  ).  It seems the ASA might "impose" a similar advertising rule on the rest, though nobody seems to know yet how that would work for companies like IDNet that sell broadband and line rental separately.

It's all a mess.

[Tacitus]

It seems the ASA might "impose" a similar advertising rule on the rest, though nobody seems to know yet how that would work for companies like IDNet that sell broadband and line rental separately.

But how will that work with 'line only' for those that want Broadband only whilst relying on mobile for their phones?  Will all suppliers big and small be forced to offer full voice and broadband packages only?  I did think that BT were trying to drive things towards domestic VoIP but given the problems with a reliable emergency service - need for a UPS for both phone and modem - and perhaps PSTN will be with us for some considerable time.

It's all a mess.

Yup 

[peasblossom]

I'd hope the ASA ruling would make this clear. Thinking about it, if line rental and broadband are one package then put both figures together, if separate, separate listing.