The transition in the UK from old-fashioned copper phone and broadband lines to advanced full fibre technology is rapidly gaining momentum. In the last year, millions have made the switch to this enhanced connectivity, and more households are set to move away from copper cables in the near future.
BT’s Openreach has recently announced that 1.2 million properties will be impacted by the “Stop Sell” alerts, with 132 new areas joining the end-of-life list. This alert restricts internet service providers like BT, Sky, TalkTalk, and Vodafone from offering traditional copper-based phone and broadband services in regions where full fibre is accessible.
Individuals signing new contracts or renewing existing ones will now be required to 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.
Despite concerns from some elderly and vulnerable customers, Digital Voice promises improved call quality and additional features like spam call blocking and call diversion to mobile phones.
Openreach assures that customers without access to full fibre currently will not be affected and can continue using their existing copper-based services until fibre becomes available in their area.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, emphasized the importance of the stop sell program in expediting the UK’s shift to modern full fibre technology. The move to retire legacy copper services in full fibre areas aims to enhance speed, reliability, and support the industry-wide transition leading up to the complete shutdown of the old PSTN phone network in just over a year.
To check the services available in your area, you can utilize the Openreach postcode checker to determine if full fibre has been deployed in your locality.
The list below outlines the new locations affected by the Stop Sell alerts, including various areas across the UK.