Re:It isn't new to the UK (Score 2, Informative)

I disconnected mine from the phone line when I switched from BT to cable about 1 month before the 12 month period was up and have never heard from them, so you might get away with doing that, but don't count on it. Sky wrote to a colleague of mine, insisting that he stump up the extra charges, as his Sky box had been unplugged for 2 months before the 12 month period expired. He tried to argue against it, but Sky's terms and conditions nail you right to the wall. He ended up paying.