HL Deb 19 November 1985 vol 468 c542WA
The Earl of Selkirk

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many separate telephones are currently in use.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Lucas of Chilworth)

The supply of telephones is no longer a BT monopoly. The precise number currently in use is not known but it will be considerably higher than the number of exchange lines. British Telecommunications' network includes some 20.5 million exchange lines. The Hull Telephone Undertaking network has some 130,000 lines.