Openreach List Next 86 UK Areas for Copper Phone to Fibre Switch – Tranche 5

Openreach (BT) has published the next – Tranche 5 – list of 86 UK exchange locations where they plan to move away from old copper-based analogue phone (PSTN / WLR etc.) services and on to a new all-IP network, which will occur in areas where over 75% of premises can get their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network.

Just to recap, there are two different, albeit closely related, stages to moving away from the old copper line infrastructure. The first starts with the gradual migration of traditional voice (PSTN) services to all-IP technologies, which is due to complete by December 2025 and is occurring on copper line (e.g. SOGEA) products (i.e. copper and full fibre ISPs will both need to introduce VoIP style voice solutions for customers).

NOTE: Openreach’s FTTP currently covers 5.2 million UK premises (build rate of c.43,000 per week) and they aim to reach 25 million by Dec 2026 (here) – 6.2m of those will be in rural or semi-rural areas. The build rate will in future peak at c.75,000 per week.

The second stage involves the ongoing deployment of faster FTTP broadband infrastructure – using light signals via optical fibre instead of electrical ones via copper. Only after this second stage has largely completed in an exchange area can you really start to switch-off copper in favour of fibre, which is a longer process (i.e. it takes time to deploy FTTP, and then you have to allow time for customer migration etc.).

As above, the process for moving from copper to fibre lines begins once 75% of premises in an exchange are able to receive that full fibre connectivity. The target for this is often c.24 months after the fibre roll-out starts, while the copper switch-off might then occur c.3 years after that (consumer migration is a slow process). The pace of this progress may vary from place to place, as some areas will have better network coverage than others.

The migration process itself usually starts with a “no move back” policy for premises connected with FTTP (i.e. no going back to copper), followed by a “stop-sell” of copper services to new customers (12-months’ notice is usually given before this starts) and ultimately full withdrawal.

At this point we should caveat that the aforementioned 75% figure actually includes hybrid fibre G.fast coverage too, but the reality is this won’t have a major role to play as it’s no longer being deployed, and has very little coverage (c.2.8 million premises). Hybrid fibre and full fibre services are supplied via a different exchange to pure copper phone lines and ADSL services (some context).

The Next 86 Exchange Locations (Tranche 5)

Until today, a total of 294 FTTP exchange upgrades had already been notified as part of the aforementioned process (including the Salisbury and Mildenhall trial exchanges). Generally, once notified to the public like this, each exchange area gets 12-months before the “stop-sell” is introduced (i.e. 2nd August 2022 for this list).

We should add that Openreach has a semi-related “Call Waiting List” campaign running (here), which aims to raise awareness among UK businesses of their plans to withdraw old copper-based analogue phone (PSTN / WLR etc.) services by December 2025 and replace them with digital (IP / VoIP) alternatives.

The operator has also added a Stop Sells Page to their website, which makes it a bit easier to see all of these changes – this also includes areas where just the analogue phone services are being withdrawn, irrespective of FTTP coverage (e.g. the Mildenhall trial).

NOTE: Openreach confirms that 11 of the previously notified exchanges are being realigned to later stop sell dates, while another 4 exchanges have been removed from the stop sell notice period altogether (at least for now). The list is tentative, so changes do occur. Today’s announcement of 86 areas covers around 500,000 premises, which brings the total for stop sell to 379 areas or 3.4 million premises.

Tranche 5 – 86 New Stop Sell Exchanges

Exchange Name	Exchange Location	Exchange Code	Stop Sell Start
ABERDARE	Aberdare	SWAA	02-Aug-22
ALVA	Alva	ESALV	02-Aug-22
ALVASTON	CE Fibre Cities – DERBY	EMALVAS	02-Aug-22
ARDGLASS	Ardglass	NIAR	02-Aug-22
BALLYRONAN	Ballyronan	NIBRN	02-Aug-22
BARNOLDSWICK	Barnoldswick	LCBAN	02-Aug-22
BEAMISH	Beamish	NEBEA	02-Aug-22
BELLAGHY	Bellaghy	NIBY	02-Aug-22
BEXLEYHEATH	CE Fibre Cities – London	LSBEX	02-Aug-22
BIDFORD ON AVON	Bidford On Avon	CMBIDF	02-Aug-22
BOROUGH GREEN	Borough Green	NDBGR	02-Aug-22
BRIGHTON PORTSLADE	CE Fibre Cities – BRIGHTON AND HOVE	SDPRTSL	02-Aug-22
BRINSCALL	Brinscall	LCBRI	02-Aug-22
BRIXHAM	Brixham	WWBRIX	02-Aug-22
CAISTER	Caister	EACAI	02-Aug-22
CARDIFF	CE Fibre Cities – Cardiff	SWCFATE	02-Aug-22
CARMARTHEN	Carmarthen	SWCT	02-Aug-22
CASTLEFORD	CE Fibre Cities – LEEDS	MYCAS	02-Aug-22
CASTLEROCK	Castlerock	NICLK	02-Aug-22
CHEDDAR	Cheddar	SSCDR	02-Aug-22
COALISLAND	Coalisland	NICI	02-Aug-22
CODICOTE	Codicote	SMCI	02-Aug-22
COGENHOE	CE Fibre Cities – NORTHAMPTON	EMCOGEN	02-Aug-22
COLESHILL	Coleshill	CMCOLE	02-Aug-22
Cumnock	Cumnock	WSCMN	02-Aug-22
CUSHENDALL	Cushendall	NICUS	02-Aug-22
Denbigh	Denbigh	WNDEN	02-Aug-22
Dereham	Dereham	EADER	02-Aug-22
DOWNHAM MARKET	Downham Market	EADNM	02-Aug-22
DRIGHLINGTON	CE Fibre Cities – Leeds	MYDLT	02-Aug-22
DROMORE (CO DOWN)	Dromore	NIDO	02-Aug-22
DUNGIVEN	Dungiven	NIDV	02-Aug-22
EARLS BARTON	CE Fibre Cities – NORTHAMPTON	EMEARLS	02-Aug-22
EDINBURGH KIRKLIST	CE Fibre Cities – EDINBURGH	ESKRL	02-Aug-22
EGLINTON	NI Fibre Cities – Derry-Londonderry	NIEG	02-Aug-22
Elmsted	Ashford	NDELM	02-Aug-22
FLINT	Flint	WNFL	02-Aug-22
FORKHILL	Forkhill	NIFH	02-Aug-22
FRODSHAM	Frodsham	LVFRO	02-Aug-22
GILFORD	Gilford	NIGF	02-Aug-22
GILLINGHAM	Gillingham	STGILGM	02-Aug-22
Glenborrodale	Glenborrodale	NSGBD	02-Aug-22
Glenmazeran	Glenmazeran	NSGMZ	02-Aug-22
GREAT ECCLESTON	Great Eccleston	LCGRC	02-Aug-22
GREYABBEY	Greyabbey	NIGY	02-Aug-22
Halfway	CE Fibre Cities – Glasgow	WSHAL	02-Aug-22
HELENS BAY	NI Fibre Cities – Newtownards & Bangor	NIHB	02-Aug-22
HELSBY	CE Fibre Cities – WIRRAL	LVHEL	02-Aug-22
HOLYWELL	Holywell	WNHW	02-Aug-22
HOOTON	CE Fibre Cities – WIRRAL	LVHOO	02-Aug-22
Hullbridge	Hullbridge	EAHUL	02-Aug-22
JAMES BRIDGE	CE Fibre Cities – BIRMINGHAM	CMJAM	02-Aug-22
KELTY	Kelty	ESKLY	02-Aug-22
KEYNSHAM	CE Fibre Cities – BRISTOL	SSKEY	02-Aug-22
KILKEEL	Kilkeel	NIKI	02-Aug-22
KILLYLEAGH	Killyleagh	NIKYL	02-Aug-22
Kincardine	Kincardine	ESKCA	02-Aug-22
LENNOXTOWN	Lennoxtown	WSLEX	02-Aug-22
LIMAVADY	NI Fibre Cities – Limavady	NILY	02-Aug-22
Ludlow	Ludlow	WNLUD	02-Aug-22
LYMM	Lymm	LVLYM	02-Aug-22
Lytham	Lytham	LCLYT	02-Aug-22
Machrie	East Ayreshire	WSMAC	02-Aug-22
MAGHULL	CE Fibre Cities – West Lancashire	LVMAG	02-Aug-22
MELTHAM	CE Fibre Cities – BRADFORD	MYMTH	02-Aug-22
MIDDLEWICH	Middlewich	MRMDW	02-Aug-22
MILLISLE	Millisle	NIME	02-Aug-22
MINSTER SHEPPEY	Minster Sheppey	NDMSH	02-Aug-22
MOIRA	Maghaberry	NIMR	02-Aug-22
MOSTYN	Mostyn	WNMOS	02-Aug-22
NEWCASTLE STAFFS	CE Fibre Cities – NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME	WMNEW	02-Aug-22
PONTARDULAIS	Pontardulais	SWPDW	02-Aug-22
Poulton Le Fylde	Poulton-Le-Fylde	LCPOU	02-Aug-22
SAINTFIELD	NI Fibre Cities – Saintfield	NISD	02-Aug-22
Scarista	Isle of Harris	NSSST	02-Aug-22
SHIPHAY COLLATON	CE Fibre Cities – TORQUAY	WWSHIP	02-Aug-22
South Elmsall	South Elmsall	MYSEM	02-Aug-22
South Queensferry	South Queensferry	ESQUE	02-Aug-22
STEWARTON	CE Fibre Cities – AYRSHIRE	WSSTW	02-Aug-22
STRATTON ON THE FOSSE	Stratton On The Fosse	SSSOF	02-Aug-22
STRATTON ST MARGAR	CE Fibre Cities – SWINDON	SSSSM	02-Aug-22
SUNBURY ON THAMES	CE Fibre Cities – Sunbury	LSSUN	02-Aug-22
WARINGSTOWN	Donaghcloney	NIWT	02-Aug-22
Whalley	Whalley	LCWHA	02-Aug-22
WITHERNSEA	Withernsea	MYWIT	02-Aug-22
WORTHING CENTRAL	CE Fibre Cities – Worthing	SDWCNTR	02-Aug-22