If you have tried to order a new phone line or change your broadband recently, you may have been told that copper services are no longer available at your exchange. This is the Openreach stop sell, and it is a key step in retiring the UK's old copper phone network. This guide explains what it is, how it rolls out exchange by exchange, and what your business should do now.
What is the copper stop sell?
For many years, phone lines and broadband have been delivered over copper wires from local exchanges. Openreach, which runs most of that network, is replacing it with full fibre. As part of that move, it is gradually stopping sales of the old copper based products.
The first big step came on 5 September 2023, when a national stop sell began on Wholesale Line Rental, the product behind traditional analogue phone lines. Since then, Openreach has applied wider stop sells to individual exchange areas. Once full fibre reaches roughly 75% coverage in an exchange area, Openreach stops selling copper services there, as ISPreview explains.
In practice, a stop sell means new orders, and many changes to existing services, need to use full fibre or another digital product rather than copper.
How the exchange programme works
The stop sell is not one national switch. It moves through exchanges in waves. According to Comms Council UK, the stop sell was due to be live in 1,432 exchanges covering about 14.2 million premises by 5 June 2026.
The end point is closing old exchanges altogether. Openreach formally closed its first legacy exchange, at Deddington in Oxfordshire, in November 2025, as reported by ISPreview.
All of this sits within the wider switch off of the analogue phone network. Ofcom has confirmed the deadline for moving Openreach lines is 31 January 2027.
How many lines are still to move?
A lot of progress has been made, but a significant number of premises are still on copper. At the end of July 2026, Openreach said about 1.5 million lines were still on legacy copper, down from 1.9 million in June 2026. Roughly 350,000 of those were business premises, according to ISPreview's report.
That same Openreach statement highlighted equipment that is easy to overlook: payment terminals, alarm systems, emergency lift phones and telecare. If your business is among those still on copper, now is a good time to act rather than leave it to the final months.
Copper prices before the switch off
Comms Council UK has also noted that copper services face price rises in the final months before switch off. The exact effect on your bill depends on your provider and contract, but staying on an old copper service is unlikely to get cheaper as the deadline approaches. If you are near the end of a contract, it may make sense to plan your move to full fibre now.
What the stop sell means for your business
- Moving premises. If you move into a building in a stop sell area, you will usually be offered full fibre rather than a new copper line. Our moving office checklist helps you plan.
- Changing your service. Upgrading or changing a copper service may not be possible, so the change may become a move to full fibre.
- Phone lines. Analogue phone lines need to move to a digital phone service that runs over broadband.
- Connected equipment. Anything that uses the phone line may need reconfiguring or replacing. Ofcom's letter to providers specifically mentions alarms, telemetry and monitoring equipment.
What to do now
- Check your address. Find out whether full fibre is available at your premises. You can check your address with us in a minute.
- Audit your lines. List every phone line and what it is used for, including lines in plant rooms, lift motor rooms and back offices.
- Talk to equipment suppliers. Ask your payment terminal, alarm, lift and door entry suppliers whether their equipment works on a digital connection. Fax machines and door entry systems may need attention too.
- Plan your numbers. Decide which numbers to keep and arrange to transfer them to a digital phone service.
- Consider resilience. With phones and payments on broadband, a backup connection can keep you trading. Our guide to backup and failover explains the options.
- Think about power cuts. Digital services need mains power. Our power cuts and 999 page covers what to consider.
How Cyber Fibre can help
Cyber Fibre provides full fibre business broadband and leased lines across the North East and the wider UK. Business broadband customers can add one VoIP phone line and transfer an existing number, so a small business can move its main line at the same time as its broadband. You can see how calls are charged on our call rates page.
If your team needs several numbers, extensions or desk phones, our sister company Virtual Voice Office provides business phone systems and team plans, and can move your numbers onto a digital service. Our guide to VoIP business calls over broadband explains what your connection needs.
Plan your move
The stop sell is already in place across much of the country, and the January 2027 deadline is not far away. Check your address to see the business full fibre packages available at your premises, or call our Sunderland team on 0191 543 3432 to talk through your lines and equipment.