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If you live in one of 137 newly-identified areas across the UK, you'll need to prepare for a significant shake-up to phone and broadband services.
BT-owned Openreach has announced that 137 new exchanges, which deliver landline and broadband services to 854,000 households in the surrounding area, will switch off traditional copper-based connections in the next 12 months.
This is known as a "Stop Sell" notice and is the first step in this process sees Openreach inform providers that rely on its cable infrastructure — such as Sky, EE, TalkTalk, BT, and Vodafone, to name a few — that they must halt new sales of traditional landlines over the course of the next year. Openreach only kickstarts this process when full-fibre broadband is available to 75% or more premises served by an exchange.
BT PRESS OFFICE | Digital Voice handsets, pictured here, connect to the back of the Wi-Fi router supplied by your broadband provider and route calls over the internet — not a traditional phone line It's all part of nationwide plans to upgrade broadband to full-fibre connections, which offer faster, more reliable connections. Broadband suppliers can still offer a landline phone, which relies on fibre-optic broadband cables to make calls. Some providers refer to this as "Digital Voice"
Using fibre-optic technology to make calls offers a number of benefits. If you've used WhatsApp, FaceTime, or Skype to make a call to someone on the other side of the planet, you'll know these all-digital connections can offer much clearer calls, especially over longer distances.
Calls via fibre-optic cable are also less likely to be impacted by bad weather, since this technology is immune to several environmental factors, like temperature and electromagnetic fluctuations, that negatively impact copper cables.
Lastly, functionality typically associated with mobile phone calls, like the ability to block incoming calls from a specific number or all withheld numbers, and placing calls in a queue when you’re already speaking on the line, is all possible with these newer broadband-powered landlines. The shift affects diverse locations from Antrim to Edinburgh, Chelmsford to Stoke-on-Trent, and numerous rural communities.
OPENREACH PRESS OFFICE
|Engineer switches households to fibre-optic technology so they can experience much clearer calls, especially over longer distances
Plans to move away from traditional copper-based landlines were first announced back in November 2017. This was not something proposed by the Government; instead, it came from the industry itself.
At the time, industry heavyweights said they were struggling to find parts to maintain and repair analogue phone lines, as few companies are still making the components used by this ageing system. However, the move isn't only about sourcing the nuts and bolts to keep copper landlines functioning. This latest announcement forms part of a broader initiative to modernise Britain's communications network.
For those who don't know, an exchange is the central point for the telecommunications equipment that connects your local area to the internet or telephone services. Cables extend from the exchange to either those dark green cabinets you'll see on the streets across the UK, or directly into your home (if you have a faster, full-fibre connection).
If you want to know if you're impacted by the latest shake-up, we've listed all of the exchanges impacted in the latest tranche further down in this article. Alternatively, you can verify whether your address falls within these zones by checking Openreach's online postcode tool or contacting your service provider directly.
As part of this effort, 1,041 local telephone exchanges are now included in the programme. By August 19th, new internet or phone services won't be sold to about 8.9 million homes and businesses in those areas because they're switching to newer technology.
This represents 46% of Openreach's full fibre coverage. Your exchange might already be among those where copper products cannot be purchased if full fibre reaches most properties in the area.
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Openreach currently provides full fibre access to 19 million UK households. Their ambitious targets aim for 25 million connections by December 2026, with aspirations to extend this to 30 million by 2030.
"The stop sell programme is a critical part of ensuring that the UK's communication infrastructure is ready to meet the demands of the future," said James Lilley, managed customer migrations manager at Openreach.
He explained that maintaining both copper and fibre networks simultaneously makes little operational or commercial sense. "As copper's ability to support modern communications declines, the immediate focus is getting people onto newer, future-proofed technologies," Lilley stated.
The new digital services offer enhanced features unavailable on traditional landlines, including multi-call functionality, three-way conference calling, and call diversion to any number, including mobiles, which allows for enhanced productivity.
If you currently lack full fibre access, you needn't worry about immediate disruption. Your existing copper-based broadband will continue functioning until the fibre infrastructure reaches your property. The withdrawal of copper services occurs considerably later, allowing sufficient time for migration to newer technologies.
The 137 locations affected by the latest Openreach announcement are:
- Glarryford exchange in Antrim
- Aghadowey exchange in Londonderry
- Pomeroy exchange in Tyrone
- Clogher exchange in Tyrone
- Fintona exchange in Tyrone
- Dromore/Tyrone exchange in Tyron
- Drumquin exchange in Tyron
- Ashby De La Zouch exchange in Ashby-de-la-Zouch
- Freeland exchange in Long Hanborough
- Adderbury exchange in Kings Sutton
- Broomfield exchange in Chelmsford
- Woodham exchange in South Woodham Ferrers
- Framingham exchange in Poringland
- Newhaven exchange in Newhaven
- Sacriston exchange in Sacriston
- Hoghton exchange in Bamber Bridge
- Penrith exchange in Penrith
- Dalston exchange in Dalston
- New Brancepeth exchange in Esh Winning
- Annbank exchange in Mossblown
- Newton Stewart exchange in Newton Stewart
- Ballingry exchange in Ballingry
- Lockerbie exchange in Lockerbie
- Chudleigh exchange in Chudleigh
- Milford Haven exchange in Milford Haven
- Bala exchange in Bala
- Llandrindod Wells exchange in Llandrindon Wells
- Stourport exchange in Stourport-on-Severn
- Fernhill Heath exchange in Worcester
- Kessingland exchange in Kessingland
- Teversham exchange in Cambridge
- Silsoe exchange in Bedford
- Saint Faith exchange in Horsham St. Faith
- Great Dunnow exchange in Great Dunnow
- Girton exchange in Cambridge
- Dymchurch exchange in Dymchurch
- Shildon exchange in Shildon
- Whitley Bridge exchange in Eggborough
- Whaley Bridge exchange in Whaley Bridge
- Pencaitland exchange in Wester Pencaitland
- Durrington exchange in Bulford Camp
- Romsey exchange in Romsey
- Plymstock exchnage in Plymstock
- Midsomer Norton exchange in Midsomer Norton
- Forden exchange in Forden
- Alsager exchange in Alsager
- Haslington exchange in Crewe
- Dyserth exchange in Dyserth
- Sandbach exchange in Sandbach
- Stonehouse exchange in Stonehouse
- Hengoed exchange in Newport
- Amlwch exchange in Amlwch
- Pershore exchange in Pershore
- Menai Bridge exchange in Menai Bridge
- Llandovery exchange in Llandovery
- Manningtree exchange in Manningtree
- Dickleburgh exchange in Diss
- Chestfield exchange in Whitstable
- South Milford exchange in Sherburn in Elmet
- Dolgellau exchange in Dolgellau
- Avebury exchange in Marlborough
- Lockeridge exchange in Lockeridge
- Newton Tracey exchange in Bideford
- Ogbourne St.George exchange in Ogbourne St George
- Sandon exchange in Stafford
- Llanbedrog exchange in Llanbedrog
- Llanfrynach exchange in Brecon
- Eskdalemuir exchange in Eskdalemuir
- Long Bredy exchange in Litton Cheney
- Berriedale exchange in Newport (Highland)
- Sanday exchange in Lady
- Llandyrnog exchange in Llandyrnog
- Dolwen exchange in Betws-yn-Rhos
- Dolgarrog exchange in
- Dolgarrog
- Chapelton exchange in Chapelton
- Pennyghael exchange in Carsaig
- Ulva Ferry exchange in Ballygown
- Buckland St Mary exchange in Bishopswood
- Steele Road exchange in Hawick
- Tottington exchange in Greater Manchester - Bury
- Eastwood exchange in Southend-on-Sea
- Purfleet exchange in Grays
- Locks Heath exchange in South Hampshire
- Hook exchange in Hook (Hart)
- Felling exchange in Gateshead
- Southbourne exchange in Bournemouth
- St Austell exchange in St Austell
- Stubbington exchange in Stubbington
- Lynemouth exchange in Lynemouth
- Starcross exchange in Starcross
- Loughborough exchange in Loughborough
- Easton exchange in Bristol
- Wolverhampton exchange in Wolverhampton
- Ashford exchange in Ashford (Spelthorne)
- Uxbridge exchange in Greater London - Hillingdon
- Woodford exchange in Greater London - Redbridge
- Smallbrook exchange in Birmingham
- Wood St exchange in Greater London - City of London
- Aylesbury exchange in Aylesbury
- Ingleby Barwick exchange in Ingleby Barwick
- Leytonstone exchange in Greater London - Waltham Forest
- Stockton exchange in Stockton-on-Tees
- Sutton In Ashfield exchange in Sutton in Ashfield
- Washington exchange in Washington
- Worle exchange in Weston-Super-Mare
- Darlington exchange in Darlington
- Holmfirth exchange in Holmfirth
- Bedford exchange in Bedford
- Goscote exchange in Syston
- Bishops Cleeve exchange in Bishop's Cleeve
- Wolviston exchange in Wolviston
- Armthorpe exchange in Armthorpe
- Barnwood exchange in Gloucester
- Desborough exchange in Desborough
- Coppull exchange in Coppull
- Trentham exchange in Stoke-on-Trent
- Sale exchange in Greater Manchester - Trafford
- Hexton exchange in Bedford
- Appley Bridge exchange in Greater Manchester - Wigan
- Manningham exchange in Bradford
- Stoke City exchange in Stoke-on-Trent
- Warsop exchange in Market Warsop
- Clay Cross exchange in Clay Cross
- Hathern exchange in Loughborough
- Adwick Le Street exchange in Adwick le Street
- Horton Bank exchange in Bradford
- Penwortham exchange in Bamber Bridge
- Marine exchange in Southend-on-Sea
- Higher Bolton exchange in Greater Manchester - Bolton
- Cleland exchange in Cleland
- West Wickham exchange in Greater London - Bromley
- Bartestree Cross exchange in Lugwardine
- Grays Thurrock exchange in Grays
- Colinton exchange in Edinburgh
- Kinghorn exchange in Kinghorn
- Leigh Sinton exchange in Great Malvern
- Bovey Tracey exchange in Bovey Tracey
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