BT has launched an all-in-one telecoms package comprising line rental, broadband and local, national and UK calls for €45 a month including Vat. It will back the campaign with a marketing and advertising spend in the region of €1m, siliconrepublic.com has learned.
The operator claimed that three quarters of Irish consumers prefer to have broadband and phone services from the same provider. According to BT, the decision to launch the product came after a survey of more than 300 Irish household decision makers found that the primary advantages of such as package were the convenience of a single bill and the opportunity to save money.
The new offering is called Broadband & Total Talk and is available immediately to new and existing BT customers. People switching from other operators will not have to change their phone number or experience any loss of service during the transfer. In addition, BT confirmed that there are no restrictions on where the service can be made available. This is possible because the service is taken from Eircom’s wholesale offering to other operators, also known as bitstream.
Una McGirr, communications director with BT, said that the offer did not involve selling services below cost. “There is still an acceptable margin left on the basis of those prices,” she told siliconrepublic.com. “We’re very, very optimistic that this will be something that will cut through the confusion in the market about what customers can get. There will be no hidden extras. I think it will be a winner because of its simplicity.”
Customers already on a similar phone and broadband bundle with BT will automatically migrate to the new offer. BT said it would waive the €40 connection fee for new customers who transfer from other operators using their own modem. The broadband connection on offer as part of the deal has a 1Mbps download speed.
Broadband & Total Talk includes all landline calls throughout the whole of Ireland and the UK during peak, off peak and weekend, up to an hour’s duration. BT also promised competitive prices for mobile and international calls. More information on Broadband & Total Talk can be viewed at www.btireland.ie.
By Gordon Smith
