TMCnet News
BT bills set to rocket by 6.5% ; TELECOMS [Western Morning News (England)](Western Morning News (England) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) BT is alerting millions of customers that it will increase prices by up to 6.5 per cent in a blow to households struggling with soaring utility bills. The telecoms giant will increase the price of standard line rental for direct debit customers by Pounds 1, or 6.25 per cent, to Pounds 16.99 from December 1, while the pence per minute (ppm) rate for calls to UK landlines and 0870 numbers will go up 6.44 per cent from 9p a minute to 9.58p. Broadband prices are going up by as much as 6.49 per cent. Rival Sky has already said it will increase some tariffs on September 1. Last month BT claimed its Premier League offering was helping it win its battle with Sky as broadband and TV revenues increased by 25 per cent. The telecoms giant said it added a net 104,000 broadband customers in the three months to the end of June, marking a fourth successive period in which it outperformed its rival on this measure. BT said its TV sport offering had helped revenue growth in its consumer division, up 10 per cent to Pounds 1.04 billion, while broadband and TV revenues rose 26 per cent. Operating costs for the consumer division increased by 12 per cent to Pounds 808 million due to the costs of the sports offering. BT is in its second season of a three-year Pounds 738 million deal to screen 38 top-flight games a year. (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] |