Openreach to Phase Out Copper Broadband in 94 UK Locations, Impacting Nearly One Million
Openreach today announced plans to discontinue the sale of traditional copper-based phone and broadband services in 94 exchange locations across the United Kingdom, affecting almost one million homes and businesses as the company accelerates its transition to a fully fibre network.
The move, revealed on October 12, 2025, will see communication providers like BT, Sky, TalkTalk, and Vodafone given a 12-month notice period before legacy analogue product sales cease in the designated areas. This allows these providers time to prepare and assist customers in upgrading to fibre optic services. This shift is part of a wider trend towards faster, more reliable internet access, crucial for supporting modern digital applications and services.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, explained the rationale behind the decision, stating: “Taking advantage of the progress of our full fibre build and encouraging people to upgrade where a majority can access our new network is the right thing to do as it makes no sense, both operationally and commercially, to keep the old copper network and our new fibre network running side-by-side.” He further emphasized the declining capabilities of copper in supporting contemporary communication needs, adding, “As copper’s ability to support modern communications declines, the immediate focus is getting people onto newer, future-proofed technologies.” You can find more information about fibre broadband and its benefits at Ofcom’s website.
Openreach has already extended its full fibre infrastructure to over 18 million UK homes and businesses, with more than four million added in the last year alone, and is aiming to reach 25 million premises by December 2026. The company intends to increase its build rate by 20%, targeting up to five million additional properties by March 2026, having connected 1.8 million customers in 2024. For details on Openreach’s rollout plans, see Openreach’s official website.
Openreach officials stated they will continue to announce further locations as the rollout progresses, working towards a fully digital UK network.
Openreach has revealed plans to add 94 new exchange locations across the UK, impacting nearly one million homes and businesses. In these areas, the company will therefore stop selling traditional copper-based phone and broadband services. The move forms part of the company’s broader effort to transition customers to faster, more reliable digital services delivered over its full fibre network.
Communication providers such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk, and Vodafone, who operate on Openreach‘s infrastructure, are being given a 12-month notice period before sales of legacy analogue products cease in these newly announced locations. This notice gives providers time to prepare for the change and support their customers in migrating to fibre.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, said: “Taking advantage of the progress of our full fibre build and encouraging people to upgrade where a majority can access our new network is the right thing to do as it makes no sense, both operationally and commercially, to keep the old copper network and our new fibre network running side-by-side.
“As copper’s ability to support modern communications declines, the immediate focus is getting people onto newer, future-proofed technologies.”
This latest announcement forms part of Openreach’s wider strategy to phase out copper infrastructure in favour of ultrafast fibre, as it works toward a fully digital UK network.
Openreach has now extended its full fibre infrastructure to over 18 million homes and businesses across the UK, more than four million of those added in just the past year.
The company is aiming to speed up its rollout even further, targeting a total of 25 million premises by December 2026.
To hit that milestone, it plans to increase its build rate by 20%, aiming to pass up to five million additional properties in the year leading up to March 2026.
In 2024, Openreach connected 1.8 million customers, equivalent to one new connection every 17 seconds.
