The first UK landlines have just been switched off for good.
Most UK homes will now be well aware that Britain is steadily phasing out its ageing copper phone and broadband networks in favour of a fully digital future. This major change is aimed at making things faster and more reliable, while also eliminating wires that are over 100 years old. BT’s Openreach platform, which supplies telecoms infrastructure across the country, has already introduced nationwide “stop sell” measures, giving providers such as BT, Sky, Plusnet and TalkTalk deadlines to end legacy copper-based contracts and migrate customers to full-fibre broadband and Digital Voice services.
Once a “stop sell” has been announced, there’s then a set time before non-fibre connections get switched off, and it appears this is not just some idle threat.
The first UK exchange—Deddington in Oxfordshire—has now officially been fully decommissioned and will no longer supply homes with phone and other services.
Customers that have been served by this exchange in the past, can now access the internet and make phone calls only through FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) technology.
Deddington is the first of three pilot exchanges to close, with Ballyclare in Northern Ireland and Kenton Road in London set to follow by the end of November. It marks the beginning of Openreach’s plan to retire around 4,600 copper-based exchanges across the country as customers move to fibre-only services.
So why is this all happening?
Fibre networks deliver significantly faster and more reliable speeds—often more than ten times faster than copper—and Digital Voice users benefit from clearer calls and features like call filtering. Fibre infrastructure also takes up far less space, relying on lightweight cables and software-based switches instead of the bulky hardware required by copper systems.
Under the new setup, Openreach will eventually operate just 1,000 modern “super digital exchanges,” known as Openreach Handover Points (OHPs), to serve the entire UK.
In Deddington alone, roughly 1,800 copper lines have now been upgraded to full fibre, with services managed from the nearby Banbury OHP.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, said the project is a major undertaking involving the migration of millions of services. He noted that Deddington proves the company can safely and efficiently retire old infrastructure.
He added that the digital transition will ultimately benefit everyone—providers will cut costs through network consolidation, and consumers will enjoy faster, more reliable fibre connections that can scale for decades to come.
“It’s not just about switching off old kit—it’s about building a future-proof, simpler network for the UK,” Lilley said.
Deddington is the first to go but more are on there way with areas including Wraysbury, Childwall, Glengormley and Staines next on the list.
THESE ARE NEXT 12 EXCHANGES THAT WILL BE CLOSED NEXT
• Staines
• Thames Ditton
• Baynard
• Wraysbury
• Nazeing
• Langford
• Allestree Park
• Beacon
• Childwall
• Lundin Links
• Carrickfergus
• Glengormley
