The transition in the UK from old copper phone and broadband lines to faster and more reliable full fibre technology is rapidly advancing. Millions have already made the switch to this enhanced connectivity, and more households will soon be mandated to move away from copper cables.
BT’s Openreach recently confirmed 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 Stop Sell is activated 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 new contracts or renewals will require a transition to fibre broadband, including a shift from traditional landlines to Digital Voice, which operates over the internet, replacing the outdated copper wires.
Although some older and vulnerable customers have expressed concerns about the change, Digital Voice offers improved call quality, spam call blocking, and call diversion features. Openreach assures that customers without access to full fibre can continue using their existing copper-based services until fibre becomes available in their location.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, emphasized the importance of the stop sell program in advancing the UK towards a modern full fibre future. The move aims to migrate customers to newer, more reliable technologies, reducing network operation costs and supporting the industry-wide shift leading up to the complete shutdown of the old PSTN phone network in just over a year.
To determine the services available at your address, you can check using the Openreach postcode checker for full fibre availability. Below is the updated list of locations affected by the Stop Sell alerts, indicating areas where the transition is in progress.