Optus drops line rental fees, moves to bucket plans

Optus has moved to arrest falling use of its fixed line services through the scrapping of line rental fees on its new home phone plans.

The initiative, which applies to its HomeOne plans, will see line rental fees –which vary from $24.95 to $33.95 per month - no longer charged.

Instead, the company has moved toward fixed-fee, 'bucket’ style plans which to dat have been more closely associated with mobile and business plans.

Two plans are being offered under an OptusHome brand: a $59 per month plan which includes $59 worth of local, mobile and national calls; and a $99 per month plan which offers $150 worth of local, national calls and mobile calls.

The company has also added its ‘YesTime’ mobile phone feature to the plans allowing users to call an Optus mobile for free during certain hours of the day.

An international calling feature, Optus WorldSaver, is also available offering rates similar to international calling cards for a monthly fee.

The new plans are however subject to a 12 month contract.

Optus Consumer group marketing director Michael Smith, said the initiative was a direct attack on Telstra’s fixed line business.

“Up until now there has been little opportunity to avoid paying line rental with the incumbent dictating the price people pay for the majority of lines in the country,” he said in a statement.

Smith said research conducted by the telco had indicated that line rental fees were a major factor in consumers' decision to use mobile over fixed-line, home phones.

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