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Uswitch comments on EE landline price increase

Commenting on the news that EE has increased its line rental price to £17.50 per month for new customers and existing customers taking out new contracts, Ewan Taylor-Gibson, broadband expert at Uswitch.com, says: “Broadband and home phone customers have been hit with rise after rise, so this latest increase is really disappointing.

“EE is the last of the major broadband providers to hike line rental costs in the second half of 2015. It’s also the provider hitting customers with the biggest increase of all, at 6.7%.

“A small consolation is that, unlike the other providers, EE’s is the only price rise to affect new customers and existing customers taking out new contracts. Those mid-contract are safe.

“Broadband is an essential service, so people expect it to be affordable. But that won’t be the case if people keep getting hammered by inflation-busting price hikes to their home phone lines. It’s all the more maddening when most people’s home phones sit in a corner collecting dust.

“Line rental saver deals used to offer bigger savings for paying landline costs upfront in one lump sum, but now the savings are paltry – around £20 per year – and Sky doesn’t even offer one anymore.

“Instead, be disloyal to save money. Switching between providers that are all putting their prices up sounds pointless but, actually, there are some very good introductory deals attracting new customers. Anyone can make the most of these low offers, provided they’re out of contract. Uswitch.com research shows broadband and home phone customers could save nearly £150 per year by shopping around.”

The table below shows the latest round of price increases for landline customers across the six biggest broadband providers:

Landline price rises for customers paying by monthly direct debit*
ProviderPrevious cost per month (£)New cost per month (£)Increase (£)% increaseWhen did the most recent price increase kick in?
Plusnet£15.99£16.99+£1.006.25%2nd September 2015
BT£16.99£17.99+£1.005.89%20th September 2015
TalkTalk£16.70£17.70+£1.005.99%1st October 2015
EE£16.40£17.50+£1.106.71%24th November 2015
Sky£16.40£17.40+£1.006.10%1st December 2015
Virgin Media£16.99£17.99+£1.005.89%1st February 2016

Source: Uswitch.com

*_Increases apply to existing and new customers, except for EE whose rises affect new customers and existing customers taking out new contracts._

Find out how you could save over £1,000 a year with Uswitch here.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Lucy Smith

Phone: 020 7148 4663

Email: lucy.smith@uswitch.com

Twitter: @uswitchPR

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