Openreach Name Next 79 UK Areas for Copper to FTTP Switch – Tranche 18
Openreach (BT) has released the next batch of 79 exchanges (Tranche 18) in their “FTTP Priority Exchange Stop Sell” programme, which reflects areas where over 75% of premises are able to get full fibre lines and will thus stop selling copper based analogue phone and broadband products (i.e. FTTP becomes the only product option).
Currently, there are two schemes for moving away from old copper lines and services, which can sometimes criss-cross. The first starts with the gradual migration of traditional analogue voice (PSTN / WLR) services to digital all-IP technologies (e.g. SOGEA), which is due to complete by 31st January 2027 and is occurring on both copper and full fibre products (i.e. ISPs are introducing digital voice / VoIP services). The national “stop sell” on analogue phone services began on 5th September 2023 (here).
The second “FTTP Priority Exchange” programme involves the ongoing rollout of gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) lines – using light signals via optical fibre instead of electrical signals via slow copper lines. Only after this second programme has largely completed (75%+ FTTP coverage) in an exchange area can you really start to completely switch-off copper-based products, which will come later as you have to allow time for natural customer migrations.
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Between the scrapping of analogue phone services, the full fibre rollout and the gradual switch away from copper lines themselves, this process will take several years in each area to complete, and the pace will vary (i.e. some areas have better coverage of full fibre than others). Naturally, premises that can’t yet get FTTP will continue to be served by copper-based broadband products.
79 New Exchange Locations (Tranche 18)
In this programme, the migration process away from legacy services starts with a “no move back” policy (i.e. no going back to copper) for premises connected with FTTP, which is followed by a “stop-sell” of copper services to new customers (12-months of notice is given before this starts and that is what today’s list represents). This stage is then followed by a final “withdrawal” phase, but that comes later.
The stop sell is applied at premises level, so it shouldn’t impact you if you don’t yet have access to FTTP, although edge-case conflicts may still occur due to rare quirks of network availability.
The 79 exchanges announced today takes the total number of exchange upgrades that have already been notified as part of the aforementioned process (including trial exchanges), or which are actively under “stop sell” to 1,175. The “stop sell” in the Tranche 18 areas will be introduced from 6th November 2025.
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The operator also has a Stop Sells Page on their website, which makes it easy to see all the planned changes. Otherwise, the following list is tentative, so changes and delays will occur (exchanges can and are often shifted around into different tranches).
79 Stop Sell Exchanges in Tranche 18
| Exchange Name | Exchange Location | Exchange Code |
| Collingham Bridge (ZOG) | Collingham | MYCOL |
| Ecclesfield (ESF) | Sheffield | SLEF |
| Mexborough (MIT) | Mexborough | SLMEX |
| Old Whittington (NEP) | Chesterfield | SLOLD |
| Brent Knoll (QKO) | Burnham-on-Sea | WWBKNO |
| Bridgnorth (BNS) | Bridgnorth | CMBRI |
| Bury St Edmunds (BN) | Bury St Edmunds | EABSE |
| Caersws (CZX) | Caersws | WNCSW |
| Drayton (DRX) | Taverham | EADRA |
| Hartlepool (WP) | Hartlepool | NEHAL |
| Machynlleth (MAF) | Machynlleth | WNMAC |
| Pocklington (PDP) | Pocklington | MYPOC |
| Riccall (RAL) | Riccall | MYRIC |
| Rowhedge (RHG) | Rowhedge | EAROW |
| Cranmore (VTC) | Shepton Mallet | SSCRA |
| Dundrod (DVD) | Unmapped | NIDOD |
| Mossyard (MZC) | Gatehouse of Fleet | WSMOD |
| Mochrum (MHM) | Bladnoch | WSMOC |
| Cummertrees (ZMT) | Powfoot | WSCMM |
| Bobbington (JOB) | Bobbington | CMBOB |
| Port Of Menteith (PRM) | Buchlyvie | ESPRM |
| Trossachs (TSS) | Brig o’Turk | ESTRO |
| Balfour (QFO) | Pierowall | NSBFR |
| Medbourne Green (MEB) | Medbourne | EMMEDBO |
| Stoke Goldington (XGS) | Newport Pagnell | SMSGT |
| Bleasby (JLI) | Carlton (Gedling) | EMBLEAS |
| Hursley (HUY) | Eastleigh | STHRSLY |
| Abermule (AAG) | Abermule | WNAMU |
| Yarrowford (YRF) | Yarrowford | ESYRF |
| Fair Isle (FIE) | Cunningsburgh | NSFIS |
| Weston-Super-Mare | Weston-Super-Mare | SSWSM |
| Shotts (SXK) | Shotts | ESSHO |
| Whitstable (WHV) | Whitstable | NDWHI |
| Airdrie (AHY) | Airdrie | WSAIR |
| Anfield (LV/ANF) | Liverpool | LVANF |
| Boldon (QGP) | Jarrow | NEBO |
| Bootle (LV/BOO) | Bootle | LVBOO |
| Cheslyn Hay (ZAH) | Great Wyrley | CMCHY |
| Codsall (COJ) | Codsall | CMCOD |
| Dewsbury (DW) | Dewsbury | MYDEW |
| Kempston (KPN) | Kempston | SMKT |
| Kings Norton | Birmingham | CMKING |
| Market Harborough (MGA) | Market Harborough | EMMRKTH |
| Marshalls Cross (MSL) | St Helens | LVMSX |
| Runcorn Main (RZ) | Runcorn | LVRNM |
| Stafford (SPA) | Stafford | WMSPA |
| Wantage (WBY) | Wantage | SMWN |
| West Bromwich (BM/WES) | West Bromwich | CMWESB |
| Whiteley (SBP) | South Hampshire | STWHTLY |
| Woodseats (SF/WS) | Sheffield | SLWS |
| Barrow-In -Furness (BBZ) | Barrow-in-Furness | LCBAR |
| Gresford (GEF) | Llay | WNGRE |
| Ravenhill (RVH) | Swansea | SWRVH |
| Rossendale (RBK) | Rawtenstall | LCROS |
| Ellon (EL) | Ellon | NSELL |
| Swindon (SWP) | Swindon (Wiltshire) | SSSWN |
| Aughafatten (AFN) | Antrim | NIAFN |
| Moneymore (MRN) | Londonderry | NIMM |
| Carrickmore (ZEF) | Tyrone | NICE |
| Kneller Hall | Greater London – Richmond upon Thames | LWKNE |
| Pembury | Royal Tunbridge Wells | NDPEM |
| Redcar (RBZ) | Redcar | NERC |
| Scarborough (SC) | Scarborough | MYSCA |
| Tewkesbury (TX) | Tewkesbury | SSTXY |
| Thorpe (TCU) | Norwich | EATHP |
| Wrexham (WX) | Wrexham | WNWX |
| Ibstock (IAA) | Ibstock | EMIBSTO |
| Pelsall (PBC) | Aldridge | CMPEL |
| Pontefract (PB) | Pontefract | MYPON |
| Seighford (SEI) | Great Bridgeford | WMSEI |
| St.Helens (SBK) | St Helens | LVSAI |
| Stone Cross (BM/STO) | West Bromwich | CMSTOX |
| Westhoughton (WFV) | Greater Manchester – Bolton | LCWES |
| Brigg (BOI) | Brigg | SLBOI |
| Lowestoft (LT) | Lowestoft | EALOW |
| Dorchester (DO) | Dorchester (West Dorset) | STDORCH |
| Cowes (CNI) | Cowes | SDCWS |
| Haywards Heath (HGR) | Haywards Heath | SDHYWRD |
| Penzance (PZ) | Penzance | WWPENZ |
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Why, when in an area with FTTP available do Openreach appear to leave the copper line connected, and add fibre? Surely of there’s a stop sell, the line won’t be reactivated?
We just seem to end up with multiple lines from the already busy pole to a property.
I spoke to the engineer connecting us to fibre and he said they will remove all the cables at the same time when all lines are fibre.
in my case they physically removed the entire copper line and now i have replaced the “master socket” with a blanking plate
Generally they’re now removing the copper drop wires when they install fibre. With the altnets and in some cases VMO2 it’s getting crowded at the top of the poles.
The 2nd Openreach engineer to sort my FTTC to FTTP changeover mentioned that the 1st should not have removed the active copper line as the fibre connection was not active. The 1st left with a red PON light on the wall ONT unit saying the service was active. The 2nd mentioned that the ONT unit had not been registered correctly and that’s why I hadn’t had any connection for 3 days until he had visited. He said if the copper line had been left in place the old service would have continued until it was confirmed it could be turned off.
They are meant to remove the copper drop wire, but some engineers won’t do it because they have other installs to do that day. The copper will be removed sooner or later once all the houses have fttp.
It all depends if the install is on the day or not and who is completing the install. For example if Openreach bring the fibre up to the CSP on the wall and then Sky do the install the copper cannot be removed.
It’ll vary a bit too, during my dad’s install they couldn’t get the rods through the duct so used the old ‘copper’ as a pull rope for the fibre so there’s no going back for him.
Guess we’re due the next quarterly build update in the very near future where the map gets updated with areas that have been completed for build or are building now etc, since the Full Fibre map on the Openreach site doesn’t list the “we’ve stopped selling copper products in this area” text on some of the named Tranche exchanges [although the tranche doesn’t officially start until next year, some of these named Scotland-based exchanges have 100% coverage already due to R100 being completed in these areas, eg Trossachs, Fair Isle, to name a few].
Trossachs – nearly but not there yet – maybe next month
How about you come back and finish what you started hear !!
Hear, or Here
What you are vague
Still not happening here this stop sell thing, but it is more difficult to stay on FTTC if that is what you want, as I found out. ISPs putting the prices up for that or other ways to try to push people to FTTP.
That’s primarily a reflection of their wholesale pricing, and also the support workload.
And if you think that’s bad, you should look at the choice of ISPs offering service on ADSL-only lines, and the prices quoted. Openreach are specifically loading cost on locations where neither FTTP nor FTTC are available, “to fund their fibre rollout”. Except there is no plan for it here yet.
And Ofcom allowed this.
Yeah Ofcom authorising copper only areas to fund FTTP in other areas is madness, that change should have been restricted to FTTP areas.
Openreach aren’t anything to do with ADSL pricing. They only charge for the piece of string and the pricing is regulated. Exception where there’s Wholesale Line Rental and Openreach are getting paid for landline service. That isn’t having costs loaded onto it, it’s gotten very expensive to run.
Openreach won’t start stop sell until 75% of an area is covered & by the looks of the Think Broadband Maps they haven’t covered a lot of Hereford city centre although Zzoomm do seem to have some presence there.
@MikeP, I have seen the price of ADSL myself, someone I chat to that can’t get FTTC or FTTP and are paying BT about £30 a month, they must be crazy, I think I would try 5G or even 4G would be cheaper and better.
I am glad I don’t have to rely on ADSL, it was awful here, lucky to hit 3.5Mb/s, at least the person I am on about above get around 10 Mb/s
@Big Dave, I had a look at the map, and I am surprised at how much is not covered by OR, including some streets of a large estate. I thought they would have done that before where I am, unless they think people up here have more money.
Zzoomm have finished their build, so I have been told, so they cover the whole of Hereford, including the streets on the large estate as I tried to get an ex-colleague to change from FTTC BT to Zoom, but he would not as BT is a trusted company. He has also seen some of the problems Zzoomm had in the early days. Most of Zzoomm problem is their awful router.
Been 100% reliable for me, apart from that little episode at the start when someone decided to dig though the fibre, and this is coming from someone who had no interest in going for FTTP.
Let’s hope you don’t dig up more pavements and create havoc again in tewkesbury!!!!
Please be aware that when you have copper cable removed you have to have digital voice phones
But if your router goes down you can’t use the phone, plus if you have to have a new router ALL your contacts in the phone. Therefore phone down..no emergency calls can be made. Not good if you don’t have a mobile !!!!
For some people that really matters, but worth bearing in mind that many houses have only had a DECT phone for nigh on 20 years, so they have not had a useable landline when the power goes out.
Same old, same old.
The supposed advent of DV is now a distant memory (December last).
Meanwhile, as ever, BT Wholesale Checker tells me that my exchange is still not a priority for the provision of FTTP, yet WLR is affirmative and as is WBC SOGEA. Been like that for at least 2 years
Looks like “The Junction gang” have been at it again with their “Mish-mash, mix-’em up”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iDOCLOqFyw
The FTTP priority marker on the wholesale checker is nothing to do with provision of FTTP to areas that don’t have it. It is triggered when an exchange is at 75% FTTP coverage.
Digital Voice is nothing to do with Openreach.
WLR sale was stopped nationwide in 2023. Might show as available on a line already using it but won’t be available for new provide.
the BT checker doesn’t show WLR availability at an individual line level, it has a status for “WLR withdrawal” at exchange level which I would imagine applies to every exchange now. My WLR+FTTC line shows the same result as my SOGEA line at the same address.
Presumably Nick can get FTTC, hence SOGEA is on offer, and if he decided to go with an ISP such as BT that’s what they’d want to sell him (with or without DV) unless he has a telecare/alarm system. That is not an FTTP product.
You are failing to understand what the checker is telling you.
My part of Warrington still has aluminium cables. Speed can be variable.
We changed over last year. They change the boxes at the tops of the telegraph poles as each street becomes fibre, then when our house was connected to full fibre the copper wire from the pole was replaced by optical cable.
Presumably only the old copper from the pole to the house remains for other properties
I would like to know when Bishopbriggs will get fiber as new cable have been put on poles as EE want me to pur copper cable in and it would be replaced with fibre can’t wait
@ Big Dave: When an area reaches 75% and goes Stop Sell, you can still remain on VDSL @40Mbps or bandwidth modify from 80 down to 40
without being forced to take FTTP, you can also re-contract or go with with another ISP who will still provide VDSL@40Mbps. New customers
should be sold FTTP. Openreach changed their rules to accommodate this a couple of years back, which was covered by ISpreview at the
time. Having said all that, I have been in a Stop Sell area for two and a half years and know of one person who SKY let stay on VDSL @80Mbps.
It seems rules are meant to be broken and change to FTTP may take a bit longer, if ISP’s like SKY don’t want to lose customers. 🙂
That is an existing service. Sky may choose to allow the customer to recontract with them, however as there is no change to the Openreach service Sky are renting the stop-sell rules are not relevant.
Other providers, especially BT Group (BT/EE/Plusnet) may take the opportunity to force customers to migrate from FTTC/ADSL to FTTP in stop-sell areas as that aligns with the overall group strategy.
I’ve just received an email from openreach saying my area has been added to build plans. Does anyone know how long on average will I have to wait to place an order?
I was fully expecting a similar letter . . given that the local council has just re-beautified the area by tearing up the tarmac pedestrian footpaths and replacing them with bitmac . . . but no such luck. Obviously the “Running-in” of the new surface will have to be left to pavement parking.
Reference the information provided above by others posters regarding the thresholds adopted by OR and BT for the transition to FTTP, it would have been nice if OR/BT would have provided a legend with explanations on their relevant web-page, or even an e-mail, as to what customers could expect. I presume said information has not got a protective security marking, or “Business-Confidential” otherwise said posters wouldn’t be releasing it here.