AN MP is stepping up his campaign to persuade pensioners to quit British Telecom and switch to mobile phones.

This would help them avoid having to pay expensive standing charges and switch to pay-as-you-go use instead.

Earlier this week Bury North MP David Chaytor tackled Telecom's Michael Wills on the issue.

Mr Wills said that the telephone watchdog OFTEL had required BT to introduce new low-cost packages with lower standing charges for people who seldom use their phones.

Now he is writing to OFTEL and Mr Wills to ask them more about this but said the BT package was still not good enough.

Instead he is urging pensioners and other low paid phone users to use mobile phones instead.

Mr Chaytor said: "The current BT package for infrequent phone users not only affects people who spend less than £10.80 per quarter. For every 10p you spend under £10.80 you get a reduction of 12p on your quarterly standing charge of £26.77.

"This can hardly be called generous - it means that, if you spend as little as £5 a quarter on phone calls, you still pay almost £20 on standing charges.

"Standing charges are simply unfair to infrequent phone users and are a particular problem for pensioners living on their own.

"With pay-as-you-go mobile phones now costing as little as £70 to buy and off peak calls costing 5p a minute, many - if not most - single pensioners would be better off cancelling their BT contracts and switching to mobile phones.

"I hope BT will soon be introducing their new low-cost packages - but, until they do, I think lone pensioners and other people who rarely use their phone should give serious consideration to my idea." AN MP is stepping up his campaign to persuade pensioners to quit British Telecom and switch to mobile phones.

This would help them avoid having to pay expensive standing charges and switch to pay-as-you-go use instead.

Earlier this week Bury North MP David Chaytor tackled Telecom's Michael Wills on the issue.

Mr Wills said that the telephone watchdog OFTEL had required BT to introduce new low-cost packages with lower standing charges for people who seldom use their phones.

Now he is writing to OFTEL and Mr Wills to ask them more about this but said the BT package was still not good enough.

Instead he is urging pensioners and other low paid phone users to use mobile phones instead.

Mr Chaytor said: "The current BT package for infrequent phone users not only affects people who spend less than £10.80 per quarter. For every 10p you spend under £10.80 you get a reduction of 12p on your quarterly standing charge of £26.77.

"This can hardly be called generous - it means that, if you spend as little as £5 a quarter on phone calls, you still pay almost £20 on standing charges.

"Standing charges are simply unfair to infrequent phone users and are a particular problem for pensioners living on their own.

"With pay-as-you-go mobile phones now costing as little as £70 to buy and off peak calls costing 5p a minute, many - if not most - single pensioners would be better off cancelling their BT contracts and switching to mobile phones.

"I hope BT will soon be introducing their new low-cost packages - but, until they do, I think lone pensioners and other people who rarely use their phone should give serious consideration to my idea."

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