- Openreach will stop selling copper-based services at 137 more exchanges, affecting 854,000 premises and signalling a continued shift to full‑fibre UK-wide.
- With nearly half of its fibre footprint now under stop sell, Openreach accelerates retirement of copper—which boosts speeds but raises concerns over vulnerable users and provider readiness.
What happened: Openreach halts sale of copper at another 137 locations
Openreach has initiated a “stop sell” programme in a further 137 telephone exchanges, affecting approximately 854,000 premises across the UK. Once full fibre reaches 75% of homes and businesses in these areas, providers like BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone must cease sales of copper-based broadband and phone services. Providers have a 12-monthtransition period to move customers onto full fibre. Exchanges not yet meeting fibre availability can continue offering copper services as usual.
As of August 2025, the stop sell policy will be active in over 1,041 exchanges, covering nearly 8.9 million premises, roughly 46% of Openreach’s fibre-ready footprint.
Also read: Inca warns Ofcom plan tilts market in Openreach’s favour
Also read: Openreach moves businesses off PSTN to avoid future disruption
Why it’s important
This policy accelerates the shift from copper to full fibre (FTTP), which offers significantly faster speeds and better reliability for modern digital services. It supports the UK’s wider goal of retiring the legacy PSTN copper network—scheduled by early 2027.
However, the move presents challenges. Transitioning customers, especially those reliant on copper-powered devices like medical alarms, requires careful handling. Critics also warn that rapid switch‑overs may strain providers if access to full fibre is uneven across regions.
