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 made the switch to this enhanced connectivity, and more households will soon be required 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 service life.
When a Stop Sell notification is issued at a phone exchange, internet service providers like BT, Sky, TalkTalk, and Vodafone are prohibited from offering traditional copper-based phone and broadband services in areas where full fibre is accessible. This means that new contracts or renewals will necessitate a switch to fibre broadband. Additionally, traditional landlines are being phased out, with customers transitioning to Digital Voice, a service that utilizes internet connections for calls instead of the aging copper wires.
Despite concerns raised by some older and vulnerable customers, Digital Voice offers enhanced call quality and features like spam call blocking and call diversion to mobile phones.
Openreach assures that customers without access to full fibre will not be affected and can continue using their existing copper-based services until full fibre is accessible in their region.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, emphasized the importance of the stop sell program in advancing the UK’s shift to modern full fibre technology. By retiring legacy copper services in areas where full fibre is widely available, the transition to faster and more reliable digital infrastructure is facilitated, reducing operational costs and supporting the industry-wide transition as the old PSTN phone network shutdown approaches.
To determine the services available in your area, you can utilize the Openreach postcode checker to find out if full fibre has been deployed in your locality.
A list of new locations affected by Stop Sell alerts has been released, including various areas across the UK.
