Site History from 1996
Version 319 in late April 2025 updates BT (residential), CIX (business and residential), Community Fibre (business and residential), TalkTalk (residential), Virgin Media (residential).and Vodafone (residential).
Version 318 in late March 2025 updates BT (residential and business), EE (residential), PlusNet (residential), Sky Talk (residential), TalkTalk (residential), Virgin Media (residential).and Vodafone (residential).
BT increased residential prices by about 6.4% from 31st March 2025, residential line rental is up £1.80 to £30.20, all call packages up. Standard plan inland and access call charge up 1p to 22.43p/min with a 34.44p call set-up, mobile 25.45p/min. PAYG packages are up 1.5p to 29.58p/min but no set-up. All call and network feature prices up. International calls all up as well. .Broadband package prices up and down due to short term promotional deals, web pages now clearly show prices for this year, April 2026 and April 2027, where the prices goes up £3 each year.
BT increased business rental and package prices by about 6.4% from 1st April 2025. Standard business line rental is up to £44.53/month, value line rental up to £36.20/month, ISDN-2e up to £96.91/month, ISDN-30e channel up to £42.66/month, all network and calling feature rental prices up. Cloud Voice Express is now sold without an inclusive VoIP phone, so is much cheaper at £8/month or £20/month including unlimited inland calls. Monthly rental for BT One Plan inclusive packages all up, Essential Unlimited call package up, but call prices unchanged.
All BT and reseller landline copper PSTN landline and ISBN services cease from 31st January 2027 (delayed from December 2025). All existing master line sockets will then cease to work, and telephones and extension wiring will instead need to plugged into a broadband router or VoIP line adaptor to receive digital voice telephone service over the internet.
In February 2025, BT Openreach had 17.2 million premises passed with full fibre FTTP, adding about 4 million each year and reach 25 million properties by the end of 2026, leaving up to 8 million with only part fibre broadband from BT, but perhaps with service from other fibre providers. Of those 17 million passed homes, only 6 million have so far taken up full fibre, about half from BT, the rest from Openreach resellers.
Version 317 in late February 2025 updates Community Fibre (business and residential), Hyperoptic (residential), KC (business and residential), PlusNet (residential), Sky Talk (residential), Vodafone (residential) and Zen (residential).
Fleur Telecom has been removed due to lack of pricing information on it's web site. Microsoft is retiring Skype in May 2025, suggesting users migrate to Microsoft Teams Free, so has been removed.
BT is increasing residential prices by about 6.4% from 31st March 2025, residential line rental is up £1.80 to £30.20, all call packages up. Standard plan inland and access call charge up 1p to 22.43p/min with a 34.44p call set-up, mobile 25.45p/min. PAYG packages are up 1.5p to 29.58p/min but no set-up. International calls all up as well. .
The BT web site says 'BT Broadband is becoming EE' and 'EE is now the home of our best broadband and mobile products' so perhaps BT intends to cease selling residential broadband products. For broadband, all contract prices increase by £3/month each 31st March, including on 24 month contracts taken out before 31st March so the comparison has been updated to show the higher broadband prices now, since the current price would only apply for two months with two increases during the contract. However, many broadband prices have also reduced, since BT used to charge £5/month after contract expiry, now £3/month, and costs of some high speed packages also reduced. BT is also finally following Ofcom guidance by using 'part fibre technology' to distinguish FTTC packages from full fibre FTTP.
Version 316 in late January 2025 updates British Telecom (residential), Community Fibre (business and residential), EE (residential), PlusNet (residential) and Virgin Media (residential).
In December 2024, BT Openreach had over 17 million premises passed with full fibre FTTP, on track to add 4.2 million in 2025 and reach 25 million properties by the end of 2026, leaving up to 8 million with only part fibre broadband from BT, but perhaps with service from other fibre providers. Of those 17 million passed homes, only 6 million have so far taken up full fibre, about half from BT, the rest from Openreach resellers.
Due to Ofcom requests, broadband pricing is slowly changing. Previously, broadband was generally sold with a fixed discounted cost for a 12 or 24 months, often with a massive increase at the end of the contract, sometimes with the lower cost for a new fixed contract, but more often the higher price just kept getting higher and higher (Virgin Media) unless you changed supplier. Increasingly, broadband is being sold with contracts that allow price increases, previously vague percentages, now fixed amounts annually, typically each March or April, so a 24 month contract taken out in the summer may increase twice. The comparison Tariffs table has always shown two columns for broadband pricing, in contract and out of contract (where known), but for suppliers with increases during contracts the second column now shows the price after 12 months, except for Virgin Media that doubles the price at contract end so this is still shown. If more suppliers follow BT's example of fixed annual increases, we may add a column to show that increase.
Version 315 in late November 2024 has no price changes, since most operators are offering Black Friday deals this week, which will presumably cease next week to be replaced by some other promotion.
Updated the exchange exit dates when all services cease and the building closes, most services will have stopped on 31st January 2027 anyway. A few more exchanges exiting before 2030 have been added, also the six exchanges that have closed already over the last 20 years, Belgravia, Chelsea, Earls Court, Moorgate, Sloane, and West Kensington, with subscribers moved to alternate nearby exchanges. Openreach has published a list of the new handover exchanges for the 4,500 odd buildings that will close, this will be added to the CodeLook database soon.
KC has removed support for 118 directory enquiry numbers, due to decline in use.
Version 314 in late September 2024.updates Community Fibre (business and residential), Fleur Telecom (residential), PlusNet (residential), Virgin Media (residential) and Vonage (residential).
Earlier this year BT announced the final close down of the PSTN was delayed by just over a year to January 2027, although many exchange areas where full fibre was substantially complete were no longer able to order new PSTN lines called Stop Sell. Due to the delay, BT has now added another block of Stop Sell exchanges that will Stop Sell by August 2025, making a total of 1,112 exchanges.
Version 313 in late July 2024.updates British Telecom (residential), Hyperoptic (residential), seethelight (residential), Vodafone (residential) and Your Co-op (residential).
BT has increased many broadband prices, mostly £1 or £2/month, but FTTC Fibre 2 with phone (up to 73M) is up £7/month to £41.99/month as a promo has ended. BT charges £5/month for a digital phone line, £3/month extra each April, and £5/month extra after a two year contract (12 month contract available).
Now most of the larger operators have synchronized annual price updates each spring, and with reducing use of landlines and special services numbers (no new prices bands for a few years), there are fewer price changes to report each month.
So while the numbering data will continue to be updated weekly for API and numbering members, and the numbering zip files and web pages monthly for all members, the tariff, line rental and broadband pages and PDF books will now be updated less often, probably alternate months unless there are important price changes to report.
Version 312 in late May 2024 updates Direct Save Telecom (residential) and TalkTalk (residential). The TalkTalk Wholesale service, widely resold by other providers with Layer 2 and 3 variants, has been rebranded as Platform X Communications (PXC).
In April 2024, BT Openreach has over 14 million premises passed with full fibre FTTP, with up to 78,000 premises being added each week or up to 4 million per year, expecting to pass 25 million properties by end of 2026, leaving up to 5 million with only part fibre broadband from BT, but perhaps with service from other fibre providers. Of those 14 million passed homes, only 3.4 million have so far taken up full fibre. BT invested £4.9 billion in the last 12 months building the new fibre network.
As many in the industry expected, BT has announced a 13 month delay in the final close down of the PSTN and ISDN network, to 31st January 2027, which will allow more time for migration from analogue to digital telecare equipment for vulnerable customers. It also means 4 million more home with full fibre who won't have to depend on part fibre FTTC.
BT is introducing a 'pre-digital phone line' product comprising new equipment installed in exchanges to which a small number of PSTN circuits can be switched when the 40 year old telephone switches are turned off in January 2027 for up to four more years. This will maintain a service to lift and emergency lines, ATMs and payment terminals, and the vulnerable, until digital alternates are available. BT is introducing a new 'Prove IP Telecare' service next year for telecare users being updated to Digital Phone, where an Openreach engineer will ensure telecare equipment is working before leaving the premises, or revert the line back to PSTN.
The close down of the existing BT telephone PSTN network started in April 2023 when wholesale line rental service and ISDN were withdrawn from Salisbury and Mildenhall exchanges, to be replaced mostly by full fibre and some SOGEA copper broadband services. Initially VDSL broadband speeds were capped at 2Mbps/sec, then from June 2023 outgoing PSTN phone calls were barred (except emergency), finally in October 2023 service ceased.
From September 2023, it was no longer possible to order new BT PSTN or ISDN lines anywhere in the UK where full fibre is available using FTTP or SOG.Fast. There is no change for the 16 million properties without full fibre, until it becomes available in their area. In January 2027, all PSTN and ISDN services will start close down, probably over six months, and all telephony will be VoIP or Digital Phone over broadband. For those properties still without full fibre in 2027, this will be using the slower and less reliable part-fibre SOGEA and SOADSL services.