AOL UK has joined the growing list of companies offering phone services to residential customers.

Just like Tele2, Tesco, Carphone's TalkTalk and a host of other providers, AOL UK is giving users the chance to cut the cost of their phone bills by ditching BT. Available from tomorrow, AOL Talk includes unlimited UK local and national calls at any time of the day or night.

As part of a promo offer, AOL Talk costs £7.99 a month for anyone signing up before the end of June. After that the cost of the service will rise to £9.99 a month. Based on Carrier Pre-Select (CPS), AOL Talk enables anyone with a BT landline to switch their home phone provider without changing their phone number or line.

While line rental is still payable to BT, the ISP may well offer wholesale line rental (WLR) at a later date giving consumers the option of getting line rental and call charges on the same bill.

Chief exec Karen Thomson said she wanted to give home phone users "competitive, easy-to-use services, with costs that are genuinely transparent and highly competitive". ®

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