What is the copper stop sell, and what changed this week?
The copper stop sell is Openreach’s plan to stop selling old copper phone and broadband lines once most homes in an area can get full fibre. On 8 October Openreach named another 112 exchanges, covering 619,724 premises. If your exchange is on the list, your provider will eventually stop selling you a copper line.
Openreach is the company that runs most of the UK’s phone lines and broadband cabling. It is giving providers such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone a year’s notice for these 112 exchanges. We covered the earlier copper stop sell lists in August. This is the next batch.
Nothing switches off overnight, and nobody is forced onto a new line this week. But if you’re about to move provider or change package, the copper stop sell is worth knowing about.
How does the copper stop sell work?
The copper stop sell starts in an exchange area once full fibre is available to more than 75% of premises there. From that point, providers can no longer sell new copper based broadband and phone services in the area.
Openreach says customers who switch provider, upgrade or change their package will typically move onto a modern digital service such as full fibre. ISPreview adds that the rule applies to each address rather than the whole exchange, so a home that can’t yet get full fibre should still be offered a copper based service.
Openreach’s reasoning is cost and complexity. Its director of managed customer migrations says retiring copper where fibre is widely available cuts the cost of running old and new networks side by side, and helps get customers ready for the phone network closure.
There’s a second stage called withdrawal, where copper services are eventually closed in an area. That comes later, and the sources we read don’t give a date for it. Right now this is about what providers can sell to new orders, not about cutting existing customers off.
Which areas are on the latest copper stop sell list?
The 112 exchanges are spread across the country. Names on Openreach’s list include Bilston, Eastbourne, Exmouth, Witney, Walthamstow, Rushey Green in Lewisham, Pendleton in Salford, Kirkcaldy and Bridgeton in Glasgow. Openreach publishes the full list on its news page, and it’s a long one.
By 5 November, Openreach says the copper stop sell will be active in 1,663 exchanges, covering around 16.4 million premises. Its full fibre network now reaches more than 23.5 million premises, so plenty of homes outside those exchanges can already order it too.
The simplest check is Openreach’s postcode checker, or just ask your provider what they can sell you at your address.
Does the copper stop sell affect your phone line?
It’s connected, because the phone network is changing at the same time. Writing on 8 October, Openreach said the old analogue phone network (the PSTN) closes in less than four months, and that everyone will need a digital phone service when it does.
The date behind that phrase is 31 January 2027, and that is the one worth putting in the diary. “Less than four months” is true as we publish and stops meaning much by the time you read this page in the new year, so work from the date rather than the countdown.
That means your landline will run over the internet rather than the old copper phone line. If you rely on a landline for a telecare alarm or you’ve got a medical pendant, check the arrangements with your provider well before then. Our guide to the landline switch off and telecare has a checklist, and we’ve explained your rights in our digital landline switch news.
What should you check before you switch broadband?
Most of this is about timing. Switching provider or changing package is the moment the copper stop sell can bite, so a few checks up front save a surprise later.
Key takeaways
- Check whether your exchange is on Openreach’s copper stop sell list, and whether full fibre is available at your address.
- If you’re thinking of switching or upgrading, ask what each provider can sell you at your postcode, and the price after any introductory period.
- If you use a landline for an alarm or other equipment, ask about the move to a digital phone service now, ahead of the 31 January 2027 PSTN closure.
Doing nothing is the default your provider is counting on. It isn’t a disaster here, because existing copper lines aren’t being cut off by the copper stop sell. But if you’re due a new deal soon, it’s the sort of detail that decides which deals are on the table.
Frequently asked questions about the copper stop sell
- Will my broadband stop working because of the copper stop sell?
- No. The copper stop sell stops providers selling new copper based services in an area. It doesn’t switch off lines that already work.
- Can I still get a copper line if full fibre isn’t available at my address?
- ISPreview reports that the rule applies address by address, so homes that can’t yet get full fibre should still be able to order a copper based service. Ask your provider to check your postcode.
- How much notice is there before the copper stop sell starts?
- Openreach says it gives providers a year’s notice. The 112 exchanges announced on 8 October are on that notice period now.
- What is the PSTN closure, and when is it?
- The PSTN is the old analogue phone network. It closes on 31 January 2027, after which everyone needs a digital phone service that runs over broadband. Openreach described that on 8 October as less than four months away.
- Does full fibre cost more than a copper line?
- It depends on the provider and the deal. Compare the monthly price and the price after any introductory period for the plans available at your address before you decide.
Sources
- Openreach, Openreach accelerates copper retirement across 600,000 more UK premises, 8 October 2026. The 112 exchanges, the 619,724 premises, the 1,663 exchanges and 16.4 million premises by 5 November, the 23.5 million full fibre figure and the PSTN comment.
- ISPreview, Openreach name next 112 UK areas for copper to full fibre switch, 8 October 2026. The premises level point and the withdrawal stage.
- Switcheroo, landline switch off guide. The 31 January 2027 PSTN closure date, which Openreach’s release refers to only as a countdown.
Checked 12 October 2026.
