Millions of Australian homes and businesses could be hit with bigger phone and internet bills under a proposed Telstra price rise that the company says the NBN is forcing it to introduce.

Telstra has asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for permission to raise charges for access to its wholesale fixed-line phone and internet services by 7.2 per cent from 2015, partly as compensation for the rise of the NBN.

Telstra's proposed fixed-line wholesale price increases could see widespread price hikes for broadband services. Credit:James Davies

This in turn affects almost every Australian with a phone line or an internet connection because Telstra, a former government monopoly, owns the vast majority of the copper phone lines many telcos depend on to connect customers

The company leased around 4 million services to rivals in the 2013 financial year. it has not raised its wholesale prices since 2011, meaning they have fallen in inflation-adjusted terms.The company raised line rental prices for its own customers this month.