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SmartTalk from BT: Mobile phone calls BT landline rates

# 15 January 2013, 12:53 by cfteam

BT’s SmartTalk WiFi App for iphones will enable BT landline customers to make calls on their mobile over WiFi internet connections at their BT landline home calling plan rate charges. The app is now available to download.

The BT press release claims this is the first app launched in the UK linking the iphone with a customer’s home calling plan. Virgin Media announced their similar Smartcall system back in November, although that still appears to have a “coming soon” status.

SmartTalk is available in the UK and will also work abroad. Only outgoing calls are supported.

The app works best over WiFi, but can also be used with the mobile’s data connection. The latter would probably not offer that great a saving as a caller would be using their mobile data charges at the same time as incurring landline rate costs. However with some 7.5 worldwide WiFi locations available free to many BT customers, there are potential savings to be made. In some cases calls could even appear to be “free”, if the BT landline home calling plan allowed for inclusive calls. If charges are incurred they would be added to the landline bill. Of course the potential for savings ignores that many smartphone tariffs include a number of inclusive call minutes.

BT give a number of examples of the potential for savings:


• A couple are on honeymoon in Thailand. Two quick five minute calls to their respective parents’ home phones using their O2 PAYG mobile standard rate would cost a total of £9.90. Using BT SmartTalk when logged on to wi-fi, on an Unlimited Anytime Plan Plus, those same phone calls would have been included in their home calling plan.

• A group of three friends move into their new house and need to call each of their utility suppliers on three 0845 numbers. On Orange’s PAYG standard rate, each 20 minute call would cost them £7.20. But using BT SmartTalk, the same calls would have been included in their home calling plan.

• A BT customer’s teenage daughter calls her best friend’s mobile phone in the evening for an hour when her GCSE results come in. On an Orange PAYG standard rate, this 60 minute call would cost £15.00. Using BT SmartTalk on an Unlimited Anytime Plan Plus, the same call would cost £1.72.

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