Openreach List Next 94 UK Areas for Copper to FTTP Switch – Tranche 22
Openreach (BT) has today published the next (Tranche 22) batch of 94 exchanges 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 legacy 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 cross over. The first starts with the gradual migration of traditional legacy 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 legacy 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 legacy 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.
94 New Exchange Locations (Tranche 22)
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 94 exchanges confirmed today takes the total number of exchange upgrades that have already been placed under “stop sell” rules to 1,747 (includes those that have been notified of a future stop sell). The stop sell in today’s list will become effective 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).
94 Stop Sell Exchanges in Tranche 22
| Exchange Name | Exchange Location | Exchange Code |
| Llanwnda | Groeslon | WNLWA |
| Pentraeth | Pentraeth | WNPNR |
| Botwnnog | Botwnnog | WNBOT |
| Norwood Hill | Horley | SDNRWDH |
| Tynygroes | Colwyn Bay | WNTYG |
| Stronsay | Dishes | NSSSY |
| Llanpumsaint | Llanpumsaint | SWLPI |
| Dawes Green | Reigate | THDG |
| Humbie | Humbie | ESHUM |
| Friskney | Friskney | EMFRISK |
| Dunphail | Forres | NSDPH |
| Cemmaes Road | Cemmaes | WNCER |
| Passfield | Liphook | THPS |
| Bentpath | Bentpath | WSBEN |
| Ide Hill | Sevenoaks | NDIHI |
| Trowbridge | Trowbridge | SSTRO |
| Penarth | Penarth | SWPBM |
| North | Liverpool | LVNOR |
| Carluke | Carluke | WSCAR |
| Great Yarmouth | Great Yarmouth | EAGYT |
| St Neots | St Neots | EMSTNEO |
| Elstree | Borehamwood | LWELS |
| Tunbridge Wells | Royal Tunbridge Wells | NDTWE |
| Chippenham | Chippenham (Wiltshire) | SSCHI |
| Felixstowe | Felixstowe | EAFEL |
| Forest Hill | Greater London – Lewisham | LSFOR |
| Ware | Ware | EAWAR |
| Coggeshall | Coggeshall | EACOG |
| Albrighton | Albrighton | CMALB |
| Arkwright | Nottingham | EMARKWR |
| Aston Common | Swallownest | SLASC |
| Barnsley | Barnsley | SLBY |
| Beeston | Beeston (Broxtowe) | EMBEEST |
| Blackburn | Blackburn | LCBLK |
| Blackpool | Blackpool | LCBLP |
| Bolsover | Bolsover | SLBLR |
| Broughton | Fulwood | LCBRN |
| Caldercruix | Plains | WSCAL |
| Cambuslang | Cambuslang | WSCAM |
| Didsbury | Greater Manchester – Manchester | MRDID |
| Dinnington | Dinnington (Rotherham) | SLDIO |
| Elland | Elland | MYELL |
| Erdington | Birmingham | CMERD |
| Fulwood | Fulwood | LCFUL |
| Holmewood | North Wingfield | SLHWD |
| Kegworth | Kegworth | EMKGWOR |
| Keighley | Keighley | MYKEI |
| Merstham | Redhill (Surrey) | LSMERS |
| New Malden | Greater London – Kingston upon Thames | LSMAL |
| Pleasley | Mansfield | EMPLEAS |
| Portsmouth North | Portsmouth | SDPNRTH |
| Priory | Birmingham | CMPRI |
| Abergynolwyn | Tywyn | WNAGY |
| Gower | Reynoldston | SWGWR |
| Bayford | Hertford | EABYF |
| Cheriton Fitzpaine | Cheriton Fitzpaine | WWCFIT |
| Bready | Tyrone | NIBDY |
| Newtownstewart | Tyrone | NINS |
| Newport Chartist | Newport (Newport) | SWNECH |
| Porth | Porth | SWPTH |
| Bethesda | Bethesda | WNBT |
| Pickmere | Higher Wincham | MRPIC |
| Abercynon | Abercynon | SWABT |
| Chester Central | Chester | WNCSC |
| Kelsall | Kelsall | WNKEL |
| Burslem | Stoke-on-Trent | WMBUR |
| Workington | Workington | LCWOR |
| Ferryhill | Ferryhill | NEFH |
| Keyingham | Thorngumbald | MYKEY |
| Adlington | Adlington | LCADL |
| Selsey | Selsey | SDSLSY |
| Nonington | Aylesham | NDNON |
| Dartford | Bexley | LSDAR |
| Shorne | Higham | NDSHO |
| Shotley | Ipswich | EASHL |
| Burwell | Burwell | EABWL |
| Eye | Eye (City of Peterborough) | EMEYEPE |
| Chatteris | Chatteris | EMCHATT |
| Sawtry | Sawtry | EMSAWTR |
| Dersingham | Dersingham | EADSM |
| Spalding | Spalding | EMSPDNG |
| Provanmill | Glasgow | WSPRO |
| Queensbury | Bradford | MYQUE |
| Rainham | Greater London – Havering | LNRAI |
| Rossington | New Rossington | SLRSN |
| Rusholme | Greater Manchester – Manchester | MRRUS |
| Shifnal | Shifnal | WNSHI |
| South Benfleet | Rayleigh | EASBF |
| Springburn | Glasgow | WSSPR |
| Thrybergh | Rotherham | SLTHY |
| Tilbury | Tilbury | EATLB |
| Tilton | Tilton on the Hill | EMTILTO |
| Walsall | Walsall | CMWL |
| Winchburgh | Winchburgh | ESWIN |
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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In all the documents that I have read over the years about the Openreach FTTP rollout, I have never seen an explanation of why Openreach decided that 75% coverage was the optimum level at which to initiate the Stop Sell. I’m sure they didn’t just pluck a figure out of the air and that there is a reason for it. I can guess at a few possible explanations but does anybody know the real reason for choosing “at least 75%” as the trigger point?
Even in a Stop Sell area you can still remain on FTTC as long as it’s a 40/10 line, take out another contract with your present or another ISP. Why you would want too is another question, but some people just don’t like change, or don’t want the disruption, maybe even happy with what they already have. A compulsory move to Full Fibre will be needed at some stage.
I would assume the point of the 40/10 SOGEA exception is when there are significant blockers to the provision of an FTTP line [ie it requires extensive civils, or there is no more capacity to support further FTTP lines], so it allows people to receive “a” service of some description, rather than nothing. Its also likely so that Openreach can cleanly move ADSL customers to some form of modern technology in the future [ie exchange closure programme] if they’re one of the 25% (or less) properties not served by FTTP due to being too rural but near enough to a VDSL cabinet to receive something that way.
The Openreach rules do seem to have a bit of a gap where someone lives in a rented property in an FTTP + stop sell area but the landlord is not allowing it to be installed. It seems a bit unfair to then restrict the customer to 40/10. Maybe if you kick up enough of a stink they can arrange an exception, but that won’t be easy.
Worse still is when this is an existing line. It appears that WLR + 80/20 FTTC cannot be moved to 80/20 SoGEA in these areas, but it can be downgraded to a 40/10 SoGEA. Especially unfair considering it is Openreach who want WLR gone!
Don’t even have mobile signal coverage from any provider, what hope of a fibre connection, 10% is still alot of people
Yet again my village misses when considering that when you look about there is fibre everywhere on the poles but good luck trying to order from openreach considering as no no alt nets in my village
I was lucky that I managed to order in my street after email openreach CEO
I’m on copper wire right now with fibre to cabinet I get 4 drop outs a day at times spoken with CEO of by and openreach but still nothing hopefully it will be 2026 I’ve been told but that’s subject to change or being cancelled the other problem is I can only get Openreach service’s as no cable in my street