Two of the country's largest landline providers have announced increases to their monthly charges.
Customers at BT and TalkTalk will be paying more for their landline connections as a result of price hikes from the company which come into effect today (April 1st).
The monthly line rental charge at BT has increased by nearly £1 from £10.27 to £11.25, while TalkTalk has upped its tariff by 75p, which has taken it from £10.50 to the same amount as BT. A number of commentators have criticised the move from the companies, as many consumers find less money in their pockets for vital services like landlines.
However, the cost of making landline calls has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks. Consumer advice magazine Which? warned in March that many technology firms use expensive, premium-rate numbers for their helplines.
Additionally, many landline firms have been accused of unfair practices, such as "slamming", which involves consumers having their provider changed, without giving permission. Industry watchdog Ofcom has announced that new rules will be brought in to tackle behaviours such as these in the industry.
"Ofcom wants to stamp out mis-selling in the telecoms market so that consumers can get the best that competition brings," said chief executive Ed Richards. "Our announcements are designed to tackle misleading sales practices in landline and mobile services."
