The transition in the UK from outdated copper phone and broadband infrastructure to faster and more reliable full fibre technology is gaining momentum. Millions have already made the switch to this enhanced connectivity in the past year, and more households are now set to move away from copper cables.
BT’s Openreach has recently announced 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 their copper-based service life.
Upon the implementation of Stop Sell at a phone exchange, internet service providers like BT, Sky, TalkTalk, and Vodafone are restricted from offering traditional copper-based phone and broadband services in regions where full fibre is accessible.
Consequently, new contracts or renewals will necessitate a transition to fibre broadband. This shift also affects traditional landlines, which are gradually being phased out in favor of Digital Voice services that enable calls over an internet connection instead of aging copper wires.
While some older and vulnerable customers have expressed concerns about the change, Digital Voice offers improved call quality along with features like spam call blocking and call diversion to mobile phones.
Openreach emphasizes that customers without access to full fibre services will not be affected. They can continue using their existing copper-based services until full fibre becomes available in their area.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, highlighted the significance of the stop sell program in advancing the UK’s transition to a modern full fibre future. By retiring legacy copper services where full fibre is prevalent, the industry aims to facilitate a faster, more reliable digital infrastructure, reducing operational costs and supporting the industry-wide shift before the complete shutdown of the old PSTN phone network in just over a year.
To determine the services available at a specific address, individuals can utilize the Openreach postcode checker to ascertain if full fibre has been deployed in their vicinity.
For a full list of locations newly affected by Stop Sell alerts, see below:
[The list of locations newly affected by Stop Sell alerts follows in the original article.]
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