Home phone Guides

Home phone services: BT line or cable line?

Updated: Tuesday 24 January, 2012

By Anthony Hill - anthony.hill@consumerchoices.co.uk

Confused by the different home phone services on offer? We help you get to grips with the differences between BT copper wire lines and Virgin Media cable phone lines, helping you choose the best option.

There are ultimately two types of home phone service in the UK - the type you choose will depend largely on how you intend to use your landline service, as well as the availability of services in your area.

Before choosing between a BT copper wire home phone service or a Virgin Media cable home phone service though, you should compare prices using the table below, then read our guide to help you decide which type of service best suits your household.

Home phone service providers

BT line home phone services

BT owns and runs the UK’s largest home phone network through copper wire “ADSL” lines.

BT’s Universal Service Obligation means the landline giant has a duty to provide every UK home with a fixed landline - except those in the Hull area, which are served by Kingston Communications.

The provider was privatised in the 1980s, and began offering line rental on a wholesale basis, thus allowing other providers to use the BT phone line network.

Providers such as YourCalls.net, the Post Office and Direct Save, all offer services through the BT network but choose to price their packages lower than BTs, making them an ideal choice for anyone looking to save money on their landline bills.

You can choose from a number of landline providers that offer a home phone service on the BT network, including:

• BT (www.bt.com)
• Direct Save Telecom (www.directsavetelecom.co.uk)
• Post Office (www.postoffice.co.uk)
• Primus Saver (www.primussaver.co.uk)
• YourCalls.net (www.yourcalls.net)

Other providers offer home phone services through their own networks, separate from BT’s connections. This is called Local Loop Unbundling, or LLU.

These providers still use the traditional “ADSL” copper wire though, so opting for one of these providers will not require any physical labour at your property. These home phone services have one big advantage: new line installation is cheap and call rates are often a lot cheaper than BT. So choosing a provider that uses its own network could really help to reduce your costs, especially if you bundle your phone and broadband together. Providers that offer phone services on their own networks include:

• TalkTalk (www.talktalk.co.uk)
• Sky (www.sky.com)
• Plusnet (www.plus.net)

Opting for an LLU copper wire home phone service does have one disadvantage however, as switching provider at a later stage could cost you up to £130. Read our guide, switching from an LLU provider, for more information.

Cable line home phone services

The other type of home phone service available uses Virgin Media’s cable lines. If you want a reliable phone service, bundled with superfast broadband and multi-channel TV, consider signing up for a cable phone line.

Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) is the UK’s largest cable provider, and has over five million home phone customers, many of whom bundle their home phone service with their broadband and digital TV. The company’s cable network is currently available to over 12.6 million homes in Britain.

Cable home phone services are ideal for anyone who:

• Wants to bundle their broadband and/or TV services
• Wants to keep installation costs to a minimum
• Wants the reliability of a cable connection.

However, as cable lines are currently only available to around 50% of homes in the UK, you may not be able to choose this option. Use the home phone postcode checker to see if Virgin Media’s services are available in your area.

Cheapest home phone service?

To find the cheapest home phone service for your household, you should compare line rental and call costs using the Homephonechoices.co.uk price comparison tool.

Just enter your postcode and select the type of package you’re looking for; choose from light user call plans, free evening and weekend calls or unlimited anytime calls. You can also look at bundled packages, if you want to take your broadband and home phone service from the same provider.