Hi,

Got asked an interesting question by a neighbour regarding his BT Basic account and having broadband on this. Apparently he can now have broadband on this account and they have some 10gb limited package they offer, however he would ideally like unlimited as wants to use this as a chance to "get one of those smart tvs".

Sounds logical to me, however he says that despite what the paperwork says about taking out a broadband only package with BT, he seems to get the answer this isn't an option from the call centre as broadband is only sold with a calling package. Is this the case? As I have definitely read the paperwork and it sounds like broadband only options should be available.

If so, does anyone know the monthly charge for broadband only packages from BT?

Regular BT unlimited broadband comes with a calling plan, so may impact on the BT basic rental/inclusive calls , in other words you get moved off BT Basic and into a normal line rental contract, the likes of TT and Sky probably won't supply broadband without also supplying the line rental so obviously no BT Basic if you are not a BT customer, that leaves smaller niche providers that are happy to supply broadband only, without wanting any involvement with the line rental or calls , these providers do exist but can be more expensive than the likes of TT , Sky etc..

I have said something similar to him, but if you read the BT Basic booklet it does talk about broadband on its own being added to the package. Just no one at BT seems to think this exists or the price of it.

I'm surprised BT would even let you do it. The point of BT basic is to offer a cheap service for those in receipt of certain benefits, so it seems counter productive to allow the user to pay extra for a better broadband package (when they are already claiming that they can't afford a full price phone line)

I'm not debating rights and wrongs of it as I don't really know enough about it. Im just asking the question.

BT do have a BT basic broadband package with a 10gb limit that is available only to BT basic customers

http://www.bt.com/includingyou/bt-basic-broadband.html

They do offer a standalone unlimited broadband option for BT basic customers that is £16.00 a month. It has no special intoductory offers with it and it's not advertised but it is available.

There is also BT Infinity available with BT basic but again it's not advertised and there are no special offers and it costs over £33.00 a month for the unlimited option.

Thanks. So when he phones up BT should know about these packages really then.

Not eveyone on BT basic is on it becvause they can not afford a full phone line. My Dad is on it because he never uses the phone, he could afford a full phone service if he wanted, but what is the point?

He is not on the net, but if wanted to, why should he not be able to do so, and not stay on the basic package?

It's aimed at people on low incomes, so your dad must be in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits to be eligible. But yes, it's possible that people who qualify for BT Basic could still afford the full price product.

I think being 86, and having a pension would be the thing that gets him BT basic. I presume he also get some council tax benefit as well.


I put my parents on basic when my mum was alive, it made sense since they hardly use the phone, The only thing I got to do now is get him off their voice mail thing as they are charging for it now and he do not use it. Annoying as I leave messages and he never gets them

Why not get the broadband from another provider?

It does not need to be from the same provider as voice.

Have you looked at Xilo?

Because that isn't the point of BT Basic, it is for people on low incomes and/or are in receipt of certain types of benefits (which imply a reduced income) - and it doesn't make sense for BT to offer a discounted (unprofitable?) phone line off their own back, so that people can spend the savings on a better broadband connection, especially one not supplied by BT

It'd be like questioning why Motability won't give you an S-Class Merc, or why the government doesn't give you enough benefits so you can do your shop at Waitrose instead of Aldi or Lidl

BT should really offer a "dry loop" to people who don't want a phone service but want broadband, but at present they don't


As I understand it, BT basic is a heavily discounted line with BT not being reimbursed for the lost revenue - BT eats the cost. It is primarily aimed at low income users, not people who want a cheap line for their 80Mbit unlimited broadband with all the trimmings, who can therefore easily afford a full price phone line

So it makes sense that BT may not make it easy or even possible for someone to do that, but since the internet is a necessity, they offer a cheap broadband plan with a limit.

To get BT Basic you need to be in receipt of some benefits, pension credit is one I think, but legacy 'lite user scheme' people were moved onto BTB and may not actually qualify but were migrated anyway, presumably it was the easiest way to replace LUS with BTB
you can have broadband with BTB ( but you couldn't have broadband on LUS)
you can have broadband from whoever you like, BT have a broadband specifically for BTB customers (£5/month I think) lots of other providers are available who don't need you to get your telephony from them as well ( so no Sky or TT) but these providers tend to be more expensive so BTB and unlimited broadband may cost more than a cheap company's combined line rental and broadband package