Openreach to stop selling copper in new locations

UK infrastructure wholesaler Openreach has announced a further 28 new exchange locations across the country, covering an additional 184,000 premises, where the business is planning to stop selling legacy copper-based analogue services. 

Openreach is giving communication providers 12 months’ notification that it will no longer be selling copper-based products and services in these exchanges. This brings the total number of locations – now notified for, or actively under ‘stop sell’ instructions – to 874 exchanges covering a total of around 8.2 million premises across the country.

Openreach owner BT is committed to switching off the existing analogue phoneline platform – the PSTN – by the end of December 2025, with everyone in the UK required to have a digital phone line before then.

Openreach is meanwhile stopping the sale of copper based analogue services in exchange areas where a majority of premises have access to the company’s full fibre network.

The company has set a threshold of stopping the sale of copper-based access when 75% of premises connected to a particular exchange can get full fibre. However, this only applies to those signing up to a new contract, whether they’re switching, upgrading or re-grading their service.

Openreach’s fibre network currently covers 11.5 million homes. Where it’s not available, consuemrs can retain their existing copper-based product.