New BT phone will block cold callers

British Telecom (BT) has launched a new phone, which can block at least 80% of nuisance calls.

The company launched the BT6500 on Thursday. The phone allows customers to control the numbers that they want to receive, such as friends, family and work, enabling them to block international and withheld numbers, as well as an extra ten specific numbers of their choice.

Another ingenious feature is the phone’s Do Not Disturb mode, which enables users to have peace and quiet from most callers while still accepting calls from friends and family.

BT has developed this new phone after receiving more than 50,000 complaints to its nuisance calls advice line every month. Ofcom reported that it received 3,392 calls in 2012 relating solely to silent calls.

John Petter, managing Director of BT’s consumer division, said: “We know from talking to our customers that nuisance calls cause huge frustration and even anxiety at times. When people feel as though they are being harassed in their own homes they need to be able to take action and block the offending callers.”

He added: “We believe this phone gives customers the peace of mind that when the phone rings it should be someone they want to speak to.”

The BT6500 costs from £44.99 for a single phone, or £109.99 for a set of four phones. The phone is not only aimed at BT customers but can also be used on other networks.

Daniel Cotter