The transition in the UK from old copper phone and broadband lines to faster and more reliable full fibre technology is gaining momentum. Millions have already switched to this enhanced connectivity in the past year, and more households are set to move away from copper cables.
BT’s Openreach has confirmed that 1.2 million properties will be impacted by the “Stop Sell” alerts, with 132 new locations added to the list of areas reaching the end-of-life stage.
Upon the announcement of Stop Sell at a phone exchange, internet service providers reliant on Openreach’s network, including BT, Sky, TalkTalk, and Vodafone, are prohibited from selling traditional copper-based phone and broadband services in areas where full fibre is accessible.
New contracts or renewals will necessitate a switch to fibre broadband, affecting traditional landlines that are gradually being phased out, with customers transitioning to Digital Voice. This service enables calls over an internet connection rather than through old wires visible in many neighborhoods.
Although some older and vulnerable customers have expressed concerns about the change, Digital Voice offers improved call quality and features like spam call blocking and call diversion to mobile phones.
Openreach assures that customers without access to full fibre can continue using their current copper-based services until fibre becomes available in their locality.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, emphasized the importance of the stop sell program in speeding up the UK’s shift to a modern full fibre future. Retiring legacy copper services in areas with widespread fibre availability facilitates the transition to faster, more reliable digital infrastructure, reducing operational costs and supporting the industry-wide transition ahead of the complete shutdown of the old PSTN phone network.
To determine service availability at your address, use the Openreach postcode checker to see if full fibre has been deployed in your area.
Here is the complete list of new locations affected by Stop Sell alerts:
[List of locations as provided in the original article].
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