Home phone Guides

Landline providers

Updated: Tuesday 13 December, 2011

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

When it comes to switching to a new landline provider, there are plenty to choose from. Whether you’re looking for cheap line rental, cheap calls or both, there’s something to suit everyone.

Switching to a new home phone provider could save you over £67 a year¹ on your line rental alone.

The table below shows some of the UK’s best-known and cheapest landline providers - compare what’s on offer with Homephonechoices.co.uk to find the deal for your home.

UK landline providers

Choosing a new home phone provider

Did you know that BT (www.bt.com) is actually one of the UK’s most expensive home phone providers? There are a whole host of other providers that offer cheap and discounted line rental and calls packages - so if you’ve never switched provider, you could save loads on your monthly bills.

Primus Saver, for example, currently offers Britain’s cheapest home phone package, at just 9.49 a month for line rental and free evening and weekend calls. The Home Phone Saver package from Primus is only available online through Homephonechoices.co.uk.

Other providers, such as YourCalls.net (www.yourcalls.net) and Direct Save Telecom (www.directsavetelecom.co.uk) also offer cheap landline deals. Find a package that suits you by comparing home phone tariffs with our online postcode checker.

Can I keep my number if I switch to a new provider?

If you are switching both your line rental and your calls to another provider, in most instances you should be able to keep your existing home phone number.

The only instance where you may need a new number is if you’re changing from a BT copper ADSL phone line to a cable phone line provider such as Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com), or vice versa.

When moving house however, it is not always possible to keep the same number. If your new home is within the same telephone exchange you should be able to port your existing number with you. There is not normally a charge for this. However, if you are moving to a different area it is not normally possible to take your existing number with you to your new address, as the area codes will be different.

Did you know?

There are now some 23.7 million residential fixed landlines in the UK, with BT providing more than a third of the UK's home phone connections.

¹ Saving based on BT line rental at £15.45 a month paying by direct debit, compared to Primus Saver line rental at 9.49 a month for paper-free billing and paying by direct debit.