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Moving into a home with existing wiring - BT Retail the only option?

I'm moving into a new shared house with existing BT Wiring (it's a rented student house), it seems that because I don't already have a BT Account (the phone in my room has an 01202 NTL number but is actually part of a Cisco internal system provided by the uni). I should add that this is not a new property by any means, the wiring is from owners \ tennants who have had a bt line.

It seems that despite all this mention of deregulation, unbundelling and the ability for service providers other than BT Retail to have the same access to BT Wholesale - my only option is a 12 month contract with BT, even though there should be no physical work needed on the line.

What I would like to do is order Broadband and Home Phone from plusnet (incidentally now part of BT even though they are run as a seperate entity from BT Broadband and Retail).

Is the only option really to go with BT Retail? How can ofcom have allowed what is now a 12 month lock in without the ability to order a connection from other providers?

Sam

Comments

  • Heinz
    Heinz Posts: 11,191 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Car Insurance Carver!
    Welcome to the MSE forums SamAlbrow.

    There is a difference between the unwillingness (due to cost) of other providers to initiate/reconnect the line with the regulatory requirement on BT to do so.

    Talk Talk - and any of the other WLR or LLU providers now in the market - could provide the line, but you'll do well to find any which will.

    See the below for what companies (including BT Retail) are charged for the various services.

    http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/pricing/pricing.do
    Time has moved on (much quicker than it used to - or so it seems at my age) and my previous advice on residential telephony has been or is now gradually being overtaken by changes in the retail market. Hence, I have now deleted links to my previous 'pearls of wisdom'. I sincerely hope they helped save some of you money.
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