Openreach Name Next 84 UK Areas for Copper to FTTP Switch - Tranche 16
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Network operator Openreach (BT) has published the next batch of 84 exchanges (Tranche 16) in their "FTTP Priority Exchange Stop Sell" programme, which reflects areas where over 75% of premises are able to get full fibre and will thus stop selling copper based analogue phone and broadband products (i.e. FTTP becomes the only available product). Currently there are two schemes for moving away from old copper lines and services, which can sometimes criss-cross. The first starts with the gradual migration of traditional analogue voice (PSTN) services to digital all-IP technologies (e.g. SOGEA), which is due to complete by December 2025 and is occurring on both copper and full fibre products (i.e. ISPs are introducing digital voice / VoIP services). The national "stop sell" on analogue phone services began on 5th September 2023 (here). NOTE: Openreach's full fibre currently covers over 14 million UK premises and they aim to reach 25 million (80%+) by Dec 2026, followed by an ambition for up to 30m by 2030. The second "FTTP Priority Exchange" project involves the ongoing rollout of gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) lines - using light signals via optical fibre instead of electrical signals via slow copper lines. Only after this second project has largely completed (75%+ FTTP coverage) in an exchange area can you really start to completely switch-off copper-based products, but that's a long process because you have to allow time for customer migrations. Between the scrapping of analogue phone services, the full fibre rollout and the gradual switch away from copper lines, this process will take several years in each area to complete, and the pace will vary (i.e. some areas have better coverage of full fibre than others). Naturally, premises that can't yet get FTTP will continue to be served by copper-based broadband products. NOTE: SOGEA (FTTC), SOTAP (ADSL2+) and SOGfast (G.fast) are all copper-based broadband-only products, where voice services can only be added as an optional digital IP / VoIP phone service (i.e. no analogue phones). The migration process away from the legacy services starts with a "no move back" policy (i.e. no going back to copper) for premises connected with fibre, which is followed by a "stop-sell" of copper services to new customers (12-months of notice is given before this starts and that is what today's list represents). This stage is then followed by a final "withdrawal" phase, but that comes later. The stop sell is applied at premises level, so it shouldn't impact you if you don't yet have access to FTTP (edge-case conflicts may still occur due to rare quirks of network availability). The 84 exchanges announced today - covering 880,000 premises - takes the total number of exchange upgrades that have already been notified as part of the aforementioned process (including trial exchanges), or which are actively under "stop sell", to 1022. The "stop sell" in the Tranche 16 areas will be introduced from 26th May 2025. By the summer, these 'stop sell' rules will have been activated in a total of more than 700 exchanges - meaning around 6 million UK premises will be under active Stop Sell. NOTE: Openreach has around 5,600 exchanges. But hybrid fibre (FTTC, G.fast) and full fibre (FTTP) services are supplied via different exchanges (c.1,000 of that 5,600 total) and up to 4,600 will eventually close (after 2030) - see here, here, here and here. The operator also has a Stop Sells Page to their website, which makes it easy to see all the planned changes. Otherwise, the following list is tentative, so changes and delays will occur (exchanges can and are often shifted around into different tranches). 84 Stop Sell Exchanges in Tranche 1684 New Exchange Locations (Tranche 16)