Home phone Guides

BT phone line activation

Updated: Tuesday 4 January, 2010

By Garnet Roach - garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Just moved home and want to get a landline and broadband bundle, but don’t want a cable phone line? You’ll need to have a BT landline activated or installed - find out how in the guide below...

The table below shows some of the cheapest line installation deals in the UK - compare prices and find one that suits you:

	Free installation	28 Day Guarantee
Call TalkTalk 0800 049 7834 Go	Call BT now 0800 028 4474 Go	Call Virgin Media 0808 189 0508 Go	Call Sky now 0844 241 0582 Go	Call Primus now 0800 036 0170 Go
FREE connection	£0 with any calls & Broadband package	£0 with Calls Broadband + TV £40 otherwise	£10 connection charge	£59 connection charge
Set-up usually within 7 & 10 days for a new line installation. If switching from Virgin, you can keep your line until your new line has been activated *	Setup within 4 working days for a connection, and up to 16 working days for new line installations *	Setup usually within 2 weeks. Plus you can normally keep your number. Virgin Media also offers a 28 day money back guarantee *	Setup normally between 14 and 28 days for connetion or new line*	Setup between 12 - 14 days normally for a new line installation *
Go Call TalkTalk now 0800 049 7834	Go Call BT now 0800 028 4474	Go Call Virgin Media 0808 189 0508	Go Call Sky now 0844 241 0582	Go Call Primus now 0800 036 0170

* All providers allow you to select a convenient appointment on a suitable date when you place your order online. However, line setup times will typically depend on the availability of an engineer, and other factors, such as the number of concurrent line installations in your area.

Phone line activation costs

Standard BT landline activation costs £130, however, many customers do not have to pay this fee. And this fee is even reduced to just £30 if you take a BT phone and broadband bundle.

If your new home has had a telephone service from BT (www.bt.com) in the recent past, if the wiring and socket is undamaged and the line still has a dial tone, it is easier to have your line reconnected, and you won’t have to pay an activation fee.

You'll just have to pay your line rental, which costs £14.60 a month with BT, as well as any calling plan costs, the cost of calls, and for any additional services you want, such as call plan add-ons.

If there isn’t a suitable BT line available in your property, if there's no dial tone on the line, or if you have been disconnected for non-payment, there will usually be a standard activation charge of £130 unless you take advantage of one of BT’s bundle deals.

Home phone bundles

If you want to bundle your home telephone line with a broadband connection or even BT Vision, BT’s digital TV service, you can have your line installed for free.

All you have to do is sign-up to one of the provider’s broadband bundles, including a call element and BT will activate your line, waiving the reactivation charge.

How long will I have to wait?

It you have to have a completely new line installed, it could take between 14 and 21 working days to get connected, and BT will contact you to arrange a suitable installation date.

However, if you already have a suitable line in your home, BT says it can get you up and running in around four days.

Alternatives to activate your phone line

BT isn’t the only home phone provider to install landlines. TalkTalk (www.talktalk.co.uk), Plusnet (www.plus.net) and Sky (www.sky.com) all offer the service, among others.

If you live in a cable area, you can also get your landline - plus your broadband, digital TV and even mobile phone and mobile broadband - from Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) in a money saving bundle.

Charges vary from one provider to the next, but you should also take call costs into account when choosing a provider, as you’ll have to sign-up to a line rental contract for at least 12 months.