Openreach is to stop selling legacy analogue copper-based phone/broadband services in a further 163 locations, covering a record 1.6m UK premises, to encourage people to upgrade to new digital services over an ultrafast full fibre connection.
The business is giving communication providers like BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone, that use its network, a year’s notice that it will no longer be selling legacy analogue products and services where full fibre becomes available to a majority (over 75%) of premises in these new exchange locations.
In Openreach’s “FTTP Priority Exchange Stop Sell” programme, the company will continue an ongoing rollout of gigabit-capable FTTP lines – using light signals via optical fibre instead of electrical signals via slow copper lines.
The migration process then moves away from legacy services starts with a “no move back” policy for premises connected with FTTP, which is followed by a “stop-sell” of copper services to new customers, followed by a final “withdrawal” phase later.
By the start of June, Stop Sell rules will have already been activated in 943 exchanges across the UK – meaning more than 8m premises will be under active Stop Sell – in premises where full fibre is available to most premises and copper products cannot be sold, which is around 44% of Openreach’s total full fibre footprint.
New locations affected by a Stop Sell notification include major cities such as Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Colchester, Nottingham, Greater London, and Liverpool.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Manager (pictured) said: “It makes no sense to keep the old copper network and our new fibre network running side-by-side. As copper’s ability to support modern communications declines, the immediate focus is getting people onto newer technologies.”