Openreach, the BT Group company which manages the UK’s largest phone and broadband network, has announced that Burnham-On-Sea is among 84 exchanges across the UK where it’ll soon stop selling legacy copper services.
The network is used by a host of providers, including BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone, to provide internet and phone products to home owners.
Openreach is currently rolling out a new full-fibre network across the UK and is ceasing to accept new orders for copper-based services in those exchange areas where 75% of premises have access to fibre.
Households and businesses in areas subject to these ‘stop sell’ notices must take a fibre-based service whenever they want to take out a new contract, switch product or upgrade their existing package.
By the summer, these rules will apply to more than 700 exchanges, covering around six million premises.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Manager, says: “We’re moving to a digital world and Openreach is helping with that transformation by rolling out ultrafast, ultra-reliable, and future-proofed digital Full Fibre across the UK.”
“This technology will become the backbone of our economy for decades to come, supporting every aspect of our public services, businesses, industries and daily lives.”
“As copper’s ability to support modern communications declines, the immediate focus is getting people onto newer, future proofed technologies.”
