UK Internet users object to paying for BT line rental and broadband

Internet Business News, July 13, 2005

INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Research has revealed that two thirds of UK Internet users are unhappy about paying BT line rental in addition to their broadband subscription, according to Vonage, a broadband phone company.

More than 1,000 broadband subscribers in the UK were questioned online in June 2005 by TickBox, an online research company, on Vonage's behalf. The research showed that only 37% of Internet users believe there is a real choice of telephony provider, in comparison with 72% for mobile phones. Vonage has called for 'Naked DSL' in the UK to enable consumers to subscribe to telephone and broadband services independently of each other.

Norway is reported to have already adopted 'Naked DSL' and other countries such as Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the US are said to be introducing it to stimulate competition. According to Vonage the UK's broadband subscribers are paying a surcharge of some GBP672m annually to BT for line rental, in addition to their broadband bill, irrespective of the ISP they use.

((Comments on this story may be sent to info@m2.com))