Blogs - Home Phone

Monday, February 22nd 2010

It seems that Virgin Media's offer of fibre optic broadband, home phone and digital TV services is proving irresistible to many Brits, if reports on the company's latest trading results are anything to go by.

The Daily Telegraph has revealed the company will announce later this week that 14,000 new customers signed up to its services in the fourth quarter of 2009, which helped to raise total revenues to £963 million.

However, could there be better things to come? The company is reportedly close to agreeing new deals with record labels such as Sony, Warner and EMI, which will see content from the firms added to its forthcoming music download service.

Friday, February 19th 2010

What's in a name? Well, BT obviously thinks there is something, as it chosen to change the titles of its range of dual-play home phone and broadband bundles.

Get Connection, Home & Away and Unlimited have been scrapped and in their place have come Talk and Surf, Talk and Surf Plus and Talk and Surf Unlimited.

However, anyone who thinks their broadband deals have just been given a fancy new title will be happy to hear there has also been a slight rejig in pricing.

Talk and Surf is priced at £7.49 a month for the first three months and includes 20Mbps broadband, a 10GB download allowance and unlimited weekend calls in the UK.

Thursday, February 18th 2010

The announcement that broadband provider TalkTalk is now offering free calls to over-65s just for a chat has unsurprisingly raised a few eyebrows.

While many would regard the launch of the free We'll Call You service as a positive step and an effort by the company to show its caring side, a more cynical view is that the firm is simply using the project as a profile-boosting stunt to gain more subscribers.

Another opinion could be that the company is muscling in on areas which are usually the primary concern of charities and social services.

However, Mark Schmid, communications director of TalkTalk, has stated that the company is simply responding to a "need which is not currently being met".

Wednesday, January 20th 2010

Despite being first announced in June last year, fibre optic cable broadband provider Virgin Media's eagerly anticipated music download service finally looks set to surface this year. According to Marketing magazine, the platform – which has been rather intriguingly named MusicFish – is expected to be online by the start of July.

The world of music downloads is complicated place at present, with a range of companies vying for the attentions of consumers.

While iTunes is arguably the most popular service, Virgin Media rival Sky also entered the sector towards the end of last year with an unlimited streaming and download platform.

Thursday, January 14th 2010

Virgin Media's range of digital TV, broadband and home phone services are proving popular with consumers, according to new research from Cable.co.uk.

The comparison website has revealed that two of the fibre optic cable broadband providers' leading packages have been the most popular deals among its consumers in recent times.

So why are the deals proving so popular? One of the deals is the company's Best Value Bundle, which is available for £18 a month and includes 10Mbps broadband, home phone and digital TV services featuring up to 60 channels such as Sky 1, Living and Bravo.

Cable.co.

Thursday, December 24th 2009

Tiscali customers may have braced themselves for the upheaval of TalkTalk's takeover, but they could be affected more than they realise.

TalkTalk has now said all Tiscali broadband-only subscribers must transfer across to its phone line rental service if they wish to avoid extra charges in the new year.

As ISPreview has reported, customers who do not make the upgrade will face paying an extra £60 per year for web access.

This is because TalkTalk – the telecommunications arm of broadband provider Carphone Warehouse – is raising the monthly cost of its newly-acquired broadband-only deal from £14.99 to £19.99.

Thursday, December 10th 2009

Brits are bundling! That is the suggestion from brand new figures from Ofcom, which have also highlighted the improved savings available to those who are combining their broadband, home phone and digital TV deals.

According to the communications regulator's latest Customer Experience report, over a third of UK consumers chose to take up bundled deals involving some or all of their web, TV and phone needs during 2008.

Such statistics will be news to the ears of certain broadband providers, namely the likes of Virgin Media, Sky and BT which all offer a range of packages featuring bundled internet, phone and TV services.

Friday, November 27th 2009

Earlier this year, the government probably thought they would win lots of backing for committing to make broadband universally available. In addition, it was likely MPs felt plans to introduce fibre optic services would be even more popular.

However, they appear to have hit another wall of criticism in their efforts to bring the world of the internet to the masses.

The rollout of such services was never going to be free, but reports have suggested that the government's proposed broadband tax could have a bigger impact on the public's wallets than originally thought.

It was originally revealed that the levy would be 50p a month on fixed phone lines.

Friday, November 6th 2009

While it is common to see broadband providers offer the odd deal here and there, Virgin Media seems to have really gone to town with its latest batch.

Two months of free service are available on its three web exclusive bundles featuring digital TV, fibre optic broadband and home phone, with prices on those starting from £19.50 a month.

If that wasn't enough, the online-only deals also include free installation, which means new subscribers could also save up to £35 depending on which packages they choose to sign up.

However, the offers don't even stop there, as the company's so-called Double Deals featuring digital TV and home phone services are also available with two months' free.

Thursday, September 17th 2009

BT means business in the broadband market at the moment, it seems. Fresh from beginning trials for a service which could boost internet services in so-called not-spots, it is now looking to dethrone Virgin Media in the fibre optic broadband world.

Bill Murphy, managing director of BT Business, recently let slip in an interview with CBR that it is intending to implement high-speed services across its network from the start of next year.

Around 15,000 customers are already taking part in trials in both London and Cardiff, he revealed, so preparations are in place to make the service a permanent fixture.

Tuesday, September 15th 2009

It's better to bundle! That appears to be the message from Virgin Media, as it has decided to cut the cost of its combined fibre optic broadband, digital TV and home phone packages recently.

A recent money-saving column in the Daily Mail stated that homeowners can often reduce their outgoings by buying up such services in a single package and Virgin seems to be keen on catching hold of those interested in the move.

Last week, it announced that its L broadband, M+ TV and M phone deals are available in a bundle for a monthly contract of £19.50, with two months of free service.

Friday, August 14th 2009

Despite recently reporting that its number of broadband and digital TV customers has risen, Virgin Media still appears to be pulling out all of the stops to encourage more people to sign up to its range of services.

The company started this week by revealed its fibre optic broadband is now available with free installation, meaning customers can enjoy savings of up to £30.

However, while that may be enough for some broadband providers, the operator has not stopped there in its pursuit of new custom.

Thursday, August 13th 2009

Just several months after being bought by TalkTalk for £236 million, Tiscali has taken its first tentative steps back into the limelight by launching a refreshed range of broadband, home phone and TV deals.

However, will the new packages be enough to get the company off to a strong start under the stewardship of one of its former rivals?

Well, on the face of it the new packages cover all of the bases that customers are looking at in terms of their communication needs. As well as offering a broadband-only deal from just £6.49 a month, the company is also offering home phone and digital TV packages.

Thursday, July 23rd 2009

The government's plans to rollout universal broadband access in the UK have raised many eyebrows and caused much debate since they were announced last month.

However, one expert has suggested that the growing number of people that use web-connected services via mobile phones and over technology means it is wrong to suggest internet access can only be provided through laptops or PCs.

In a speech at the Westminster eForum keynote seminar: Broadband for All?, Professor Frank Webster, head of sociology at City University London, claimed a so-called Digital Britain could emerge away from the humble computer.

Friday, May 22nd 2009

Homes and businesses that receive their broadband and phone services through BT's Openreach will be interested to hear that Ofcom has set new rates that the company can charge providers for access to the network.

Around six million lines in the UK are expected to be affected by the new structure, as it only relates to services offered through copper networking in a process named local loop unbundling.

The use of such lines is designed to offer better value to consumers, so Ofcom established a set of legally-binding undertakings in 2006 for BT to follow.

Under the new changes, an annual charge of £86.