Openreach Expands UK Copper Network Shutdown

Catenaa, Sunday, May 17, 2026- Openreach announced plans to halt sales of legacy copper based services across another 1.69 million UK premises as the company accelerates migration toward full fibre broadband ahead of the nationwide shutdown of the Public Switched Telephone Network next year. The move expands Openreach’s “stop sell” programme to 1,432 exchanges covering around 14.2 million premises where full fibre broadband is now available to most customers.

The stop sell programme is triggered once more than 75% of premises connected to an exchange can access full fibre services. After that threshold is reached, communications providers using the Openreach network can no longer sell new copper based analogue products in those areas.

Providers affected include Sky, BT Group, TalkTalk and Vodafone.

Customers still unable to access fibre connections can continue using existing copper services until upgrades become available.

Openreach said the transition forms part of the wider industry move away from the analogue Public Switched Telephone Network, or PSTN, which is scheduled for shutdown in early 2027.

The company currently connects around one million premises to full fibre every three months and expects to reach 25 million premises by the end of this year before expanding toward 30 million by 2030.

The transition marks one of the largest infrastructure modernization projects currently underway across the UK telecommunications sector.

Analysts said retiring copper networks reduces long term maintenance costs while improving internet reliability, speeds and support for modern digital services. Fibre infrastructure also consumes less power and supports higher bandwidth demands driven by cloud computing, streaming and artificial intelligence applications.

The shutdown, however, also creates pressure on households and businesses still dependent on legacy phone systems and analogue services.

Openreach has already introduced pricing increases for copper products and services as an additional incentive encouraging providers to migrate customers onto digital alternatives.

Industry researchers noted that the shift toward digital voice lines and fibre broadband may create logistical challenges for vulnerable users, older infrastructure and some rural communities where fibre deployment remains incomplete.

Openreach migration director James Lilley described the stop sell programme as a critical step toward the UK’s transition to future proof digital infrastructure.

Telecommunications analysts said the UK remains among the largest markets globally still operating extensive copper based broadband and analogue phone systems.

Researchers following telecom infrastructure investment noted that operators worldwide are increasingly prioritizing fibre deployment because ageing copper networks struggle to support modern bandwidth requirements efficiently.

Market observers also pointed to Openreach’s recent upgrades at The Shard as an example of broader efforts to modernize high profile commercial properties ahead of the PSTN shutdown.

Openreach’s expanded stop sell programme signals accelerating momentum behind the UK’s transition away from legacy telecom infrastructure toward nationwide fibre connectivity.

The migration reflects broader global trends as telecom operators retire ageing copper networks and invest heavily in digital infrastructure capable of supporting future communications demand.

As the PSTN shutdown approaches, internet providers, businesses and consumers now face increasing pressure to complete migration plans before analogue services are permanently retired.

The Public Switched Telephone Network formed the foundation of fixed line communications across the UK for decades using copper wire infrastructure originally designed for analogue voice calls. As broadband demand expanded, telecom operators began upgrading networks to fibre based systems capable of delivering much higher speeds and supporting digital voice services. Openreach launched large scale fibre rollout programmes during the 2010s as streaming, cloud computing and remote work increased pressure on older infrastructure. The company’s stop sell policy became a central part of the migration strategy by preventing new copper service sales in areas where fibre is widely available. Similar copper network retirement programmes are also underway in several European and Asian markets as telecom providers seek to reduce operational costs and modernize national communications infrastructure.