Copper retirement: when part fibre is switched off

Openreach calls the exchange areas where it is moving customers to full fibre “FTTP Priority Exchanges” (FTTP, fibre to the premises, is full fibre all the way into your home). ISPreview, reporting Openreach's announcements in May and October 2026, describes the same three stages each time:

The gap between stages 2 and 3 is the important part. Openreach's own definition is that, under stop sell, anyone who already has a product can keep using it until it is withdrawn. Stop sell restricts new orders; withdrawal ends the service.

ISPreview says the full switch-off comes later because plenty of time is allowed for people to move naturally, and that it takes several years in each area, at a pace that varies. We haven't found an Openreach or Ofcom document that sets a date, or rules, for withdrawing FTTC and SOGEA in these areas, so treat any switch-off date you hear with caution and ask where it came from.

Ofcom caps the wholesale prices Openreach charges the providers that sell you broadband over its lines, through “charge controls”. It also sets when Openreach may stop selling copper in an area and when copper's price controls may end.

Those conditions were reviewed in Ofcom's Telecoms Access Review 2026, which covers 2026 to 2031. According to Ofcom's decision as reported by ISPreview (9 September 2026), Ofcom largely kept the existing approach, which rests on two thresholds, each measured separately in every exchange area.

Both sides give a reason for moving on from copper. Ofcom's statement says: “Retiring the copper network would free up resources that could instead be used to invest in network improvements or deliver lower prices over time.” Openreach, announcing its latest stop-sell batch in October 2026, said retiring copper where fibre is widely available would reduce the cost and complexity of running old and new networks side by side.

The two thresholds govern different things:

• The first threshold decides when Openreach can stop selling new copper lines.
• The second threshold decides when Ofcom's price controls on copper services stop applying.

An exchange area passes the first threshold when Openreach's coverage there reaches 75% and it has given a year's notice; from then it may refuse new orders for copper products. ISPreview describes the 75% as full fibre (FTTP) coverage; Openreach's page for providers describes it as 75% ultrafast coverage. Either way, it measures how much of the area can get Openreach's faster network.

Openreach publishes “First Threshold Notice” documents for stop-sell exchanges (the latest dated 19 August 2026) and a quarterly exchange list with stop-sell dates (the latest dated 8 October 2026). The first trial, at Salisbury, began on 1 December 2020.

The detail that's easy to miss: the threshold is measured across the exchange area, but stop sell lands home by home. Only homes where full fibre can be ordered lose new copper orders, coming into scope as soon as it's built to them; elsewhere copper can still be ordered, and existing customers keep what they have. Our stop sell guide sets out the rules order type by order type.

The second threshold, which Ofcom changed in September 2026, is about price rather than service. It decides when Ofcom's price controls on copper services stop applying in an exchange area, letting Openreach charge providers more than the capped wholesale price for copper lines there.

Under the rules reported by ISPreview, all three of these must be true:

1. Coverage has reached 100% in the exchange area (or 90% from 1 April 2029, explained below).
2. At least 24 months have passed since stop sell began there.
3. Openreach has given 12 months' notice that it intends to raise prices above the charge controls.

So copper price controls in an area can end at least 24 months after its stop sell began, and only once Openreach has given 12 months' notice. The reported rules list these separately and don't say the notice must wait until the 24 months are up, so the two can overlap. We haven't found any source saying how much wholesale copper prices might rise, or how that would reach household bills, nor a report of any exchange area meeting the second threshold so far (checked October 2026).

Why it matters: once a copper line's wholesale price is uncapped, what providers pay for it can change. Sky told Ofcom it wanted the threshold set higher partly because delaying the end of the copper charge control reduces the risk of higher retail prices. If you plan to stay on part fibre for years, it's worth knowing where your exchange stands.

If you have FTTC or SOGEA on the Openreach network today (checked October 2026):

• Ofcom's longer view points to 2031. Ofcom's current thinking is that full deregulation of copper-based services could start to take effect from 2031. That's about regulation, not a date your line stops working.
• The January 2027 phone switch-off is a separate event. Openreach says all traditional phone lines need to move to a digital service by 31 January 2027, but that the copper running from your street cabinet into your home stays in use until its full fibre reaches your area. If your broadband still relies on an old analogue phone line, Openreach's stop sell page for providers says that line type, and broadband relying on it, will be withdrawn on 31 January 2027, so your provider will need to move you first. Openreach says lines not moved in time may go onto EVAc, a temporary, limited emergency service, or lose service altogether. On 24 September 2026 it said EVAc will also keep linked broadband running where technically possible, though not necessarily on every line, and ISPreview reported that Openreach expects to start those moves from mid-April 2027.
• Where full fibre isn't available, copper without an analogue line is still on offer. Our stop sell guide lists which copper products can still be ordered, and what's happening to ADSL covers SOTAP, the broadband-only option where neither full fibre nor SOGEA reaches.
• A closing exchange has its own timetable. Openreach plans to close 108 exchanges by the end of 2030. When one closes, phone or broadband still on its old copper network stops working, though Openreach says some other broadband product will still be offered where full fibre isn't available. Our exchange closures guide covers what to do.

Not sure which kind of line you have? Our guide to checking your broadband connection type shows how to tell FTTC, SOGEA, ADSL and full fibre apart.

As far as the published sources go, homes without full fibre are protected in these ways:

• Copper stays available to order. Stop sell only applies at homes where full fibre can be ordered. ISPreview says homes without full fibre access will keep being served by copper-based broadband.
• The copper price cap stays at your address. According to Ofcom's decision as reported by ISPreview, customers on the Openreach network “always remain protected” by a charge control. At an address with no full fibre, copper prices stay capped; in an area where the copper cap is lifted, full fibre connections are price-controlled instead.
• The 10% allowance doesn't change that. It only changes how much of an exchange area must be covered before copper pricing can be freed; the cap follows whether full fibre is available at your address.

Price protection isn't the same as a good connection. If your copper line is slow, these routes are worth knowing:

• Another network may reach you. Independent full fibre networks (altnets) build separately from Openreach; our broadband providers hub lists the providers we cover.
• Project Gigabit. This government programme targets homes and businesses outside providers' commercial build plans, and the government expects gigabit-capable broadband to reach 99% of premises by 2032. Our Project Gigabit guide explains how to tell whether your home is covered.
• The broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO). If you can't get at least 10Mbit/s download and 1Mbit/s upload, you may have a legal right to request a better connection from BT, or KCOM in the Hull area. Eligibility rules and a cost limit apply, and BT says a 4G hub that can serve you rules you out. Our USO guide explains who qualifies and how to apply.
• Wireless options. 4G, 5G and satellite don't use your phone line; see switching to 4G or satellite broadband and our Starlink broadband deals page.

Whatever reaches you, the deals on offer differ from one address to the next. You can compare deals at your postcode using the partner comparison on our deals page, which shows live deals (you sign up with the provider you choose), or start from broadband deals by area.

Openreach keeps adding exchanges to the first stage. Its latest batch, announced on 8 October 2026 and reported by ISPreview, brings stop sell to 112 more exchanges from 4 November 2027; our stop sell guide keeps the running totals and the upcoming go-live dates.

What this means for the second threshold: it needs at least 24 months of stop sell, so it can only come into play in areas whose stop sell began two or more years earlier, and until 1 April 2029 it also needs 100% coverage. The September 2026 change therefore mainly matters from 2029.

1. Find out what your line is. Your provider can tell you whether you're on FTTC, SOGEA or full fibre, and our connection type guide walks through the clues you can check yourself.
2. Check full fibre at your exact address. Stop sell and the price protections turn on whether full fibre can be ordered at your home, not your street. Our guide to checking full fibre availability explains why checkers sometimes disagree.
3. Look up your exchange. Openreach publishes its exchange list and First Threshold Notices on its stop sell page for providers. It's written for the industry, so if you don't know your exchange, ask your provider, using the questions below.
4. Decide whether to move now or wait. If full fibre is available and you're out of contract, you can move before you have to. According to Ofcom, the evidence is that moving to full fibre can cost a household the same as copper or less, and it wants providers to support customers in choosing one. Prices vary by provider and speed, so look at fibre broadband deals before you commit.

If you switch provider, One Touch Switch applies: you contact only the new provider, and your current provider must send you the switching information, including any early termination charges. If you'd rather stay with your current provider, our guide to upgrading to full fibre covers how that works, and our guide to your old copper line once full fibre is in covers the line, socket and number.

• Is my broadband FTTC on a phone line, SOGEA, or something else, and does it run over the Openreach network?
• Which exchange does my line connect to? Has Openreach given notice of stop sell there, and from what date?
• If I stay on copper, which packages can you offer me now, and will that change after the stop-sell date?
• Does my line need to move before 31 January 2027 because of the phone switch-off? If so, what will you move me to, and when?
• If what you pay for copper lines in my area changes, could my monthly price change during my contract? Which part of my contract summary covers price changes?

Note the answers and the date. If they don't add up, see what other providers offer when you compare deals at your postcode.