Openreach

Britain's analogue phone network is being retired on a published schedule, and the written protection regime for the people who depend on it — telecare users, lift lines, fire and security alarms — has been assembled by government, the regulator and the industry. What the public record still does not contain is independent, device-level evidence that a migrated alarm reaches its receiving centre after the power fails, or in the case where nobody knew the device was there.

London has 12.92% of WLR lines still to migrate, more than double Liverpool's share as the January 2027 PSTN deadline approaches.

Openreach says its AI tools are helping keep more than 3,000 full-fibre orders from being cancelled each month when installations run into delays or extra engineering work.

An eligible customer can leave a PSTN-dependent wholesale product without moving straight to full fibre. Openreach’s temporary FTTP-priority relaxation makes that sequencing choice visible. The buyer’s question is which requirement has actually been completed—and which one remains.

From April 2029, Openreach can gain more pricing freedom in qualifying exchanges before coverage reaches 100%, while unserved premises remain protected.

A lower exchange-wide coverage hurdle gives Openreach more scope to encourage fibre migration. Retailers still have to make that move work for individual customers.

About 1.5 million Openreach PSTN lines remain ahead of the January 2027 shutdown, while a survey points to gaps in customer readiness.

EE has begun selling 2.3Gbps and 8Gbps broadband over Openreach’s XGS-PON network in selected Surrey postcodes.

Ofcom says the discounts may divert new wholesale orders from rival fibre networks, but the regulator has not made a final decision.

Openreach's latest rollout shows Project Gigabit progressing through construction and service activation across funded areas.