Sky is introducing a free call blocking system which it says will protect customers from spam and nuisance calls.
Going live on June 9th, Sky Talk Shield will work with existing handsets without the need for additional equipment.
Customers who enable the service will be able to accept a given call for one time only, accept it and add the caller to their personal Star List, reject the call and add the number to a Block List or opt to send the call to their voicemail.
While the company claims the service is the “first of its kind,” rival BT last year launched a free spam protection service for all residential customers which uses the telco’s own blacklist of numbers to stop the most common nuisance calls reaching users.
Like Sky’s, the BT service works on existing equipment and both systems also allow customers to add numbers to their own personal blacklist.
Lyssa McGowan, Chief Commercial Officer, Sky UK commented: “Providing our customers with the very best experience across phone, broadband and TV is something that has always been extremely important for Sky.
“The launch of Sky Talk Shield is another step in our commitment, offering a brilliantly simple and free service which hands power back to our customers, so they can stop the frustration and inconvenience caused by nuisance calls.”