BT SmartTalk

I have previously written about how impressed I am by BT's roll out of their 21CN network. I never thought for a second they could impress me even further but they have! I do believe this now makes me a BT fanboi, but I'm cool with that because I'll be an adult soon.

Whilst messing around on the Internet and checking my telephone usage I stumbled across BT SmartTalk. SmartTalk is not new technology. It is basically a VoIP service operated by BT where your calls are routed over the Internet and you are billed to your BT bill. This means you can bill your landline at landline rates, and not have to pay the ridiculous charges mobile operators get away with (such as charging for 0800, higher charges for 0844, 0845, etc.) and even call back to the UK at UK standard call rates so long as you have an Internet connection. And it's free!

In Australia and want to call home? Got a plan that gives you free calls to landlines? It won't cost a penny!

Why hasn't anyone told me about BT Wifi?

First and foremost I have to admit something quite embarrassing: although I had heard of BT Openzone I had not taken any notice of what it actually was, and I had no idea what BT Fon was either.

I shall assume you are as ignorant as I, and try to explain why I find this fascinating.

This is no less than an Internet revolution.

O2 broadband and BT's 21CN

I noticed recently that BT were messing about inside all of their cabinets. Curious, I decided to have a look on their website to see if it was part of the 21CN roll-out. Indeed it was, and as of June I will be able to increase my broadband connection from a pathetic <3 Mbps to a delicious >60 Mbps. Annoyingly, that would be at twice the price, but it will probably be worth it.

I am, however, a long-term O2 customer and the price they are currently giving me for unlimited broadband is unmatched by far. So I went to their website to see if they offered the same product at a reduced price (O2 broadband runs over BT's local loop network). I was informed by a very helpful O2 Guru that they are currently testing on BT's 21CN network and have had positive results. They don't have a date when this will be ready but will announce it on the website when they are ready to roll it out.

So long as I don't have to wait too long, I'm happy to wait and see what O2's prices are.

As this page explains, there's a chance we'll have to fork out to replace those ancient BT sockets, and no, you cannot replace them yourself by law. Seems... fair?

P.S. The nerd in the BT adverts is an absolute tosser. Which idiot thought he was a good replacement for the yummy mummy?



Actually.