BT home phone charges to rise by up to 5% in December

BT has announced it will increase call charges for home phone customers by as much as five per cent in the coming months.

In its second price hike of 2011, the telecoms giant revealed rates will grow from December 3rd, with UK landline calls set to rise from 7.6p per minute to just under 8p per minute.

The company's monthly line rental is also due to increase. Customers paying by direct debit will see their charges rise by 70p to £14.60 a month.

Although calls to mobile phones are not affected by the move, there is no guarantee that they will remain at their current level throughout next year.

However, a BT spokesman pointed out that Ofcom research has shown home phone subscribers in the UK enjoy lower prices than their counterparts in the US, Spain, Germany, France and Italy.

"The UK market is highly competitive," he added.

While BT and several other providers have announced hikes, Sky recently pledged to freeze prices for all of its TV, landline and broadband products for at least 12 months from September 1st.

The decision will benefit all ten million of the satellite broadcaster's existing customers.