Sure Warn Guernsey Customers MUST Switch from Copper to Fibre Broadband
Broadband, phone and mobile operator Sure, which in October 2025 rebranded to ‘Sure by Beyon’ to align with the global reach of the Beyon Group, has warned customers on the English Channel Island of Guernsey that the “time is now to switch to fibre” as it won’t be long before the legacy copper line telecoms network is completely switched off.
Just to recap. Sure is working alongside the States of Guernsey on a joint £37.5 million project (£12.5m of public investment) to build a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across the whole of Guernsey (30,000+ premises) by the end of 2026 (i.e. end of 2025 for build completion and 2026 for copper retirement).
Regular readers might recall that Sure actually began the process of switching off the island’s old copper-line telecoms network back in November 2025 (here), which reflects the fact that some 98% of homes and businesses are now able to connect to their new full fibre network (up from 93% in Nov 2025). Since then some 79% of broadband customers (21,330 connections) have already made the switch (up from 20k+ in Nov 2025).
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However, Sure has warned that “there is no automatic transfer, and copper switch off has already begun – so islanders still using copper need to act now” in order to “keep their broadband, landline and lifeline services working“. Friends and family members are also being encouraged to check in with older or more vulnerable islanders to “make sure they don’t get left behind“.
Alistair Beak, Sure Group CEO, said:
“We’re now in the final stage of Guernsey’s fibre rollout, bringing world class connectivity to our island. Almost every home and business can get fibre, and most already have. The priority now is helping the remaining customers still on copper to switch without delay. Across the rest of the year we’re going to be getting the clear messaging out there that the switch off has started – the time to act is now.”
Naturally, this is one area where Sure itself must tread very carefully, since telling customers NOT to “wait for disconnection at the end of the year” is all well and good, but we’ve sadly already seen in the UK how failure in this area can create a real risk to life (here). The UK now has a much more robust approach to tackling vulnerable customers, particularly telecare users, but it’s unclear whether Sure has fully learnt the same lessons.
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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I don’t understand why “…there is no automatic transfer…”. Most customers will just want a communications service such as a phone or internet connection, and will leave the delivery details to the provider. Surely Sure should be reaching out and proactively arranging the work.
I take this to mean that there’s no way to automatically transfer to a fibre service that does not yet exist because the customer has not agreed to have it installed.
I’d assume plenty of warnings and invitations have gone out. You can give as many warnings as you want but there will be people who will only finally do something when their service is turned off.
The onus should not be on the customer but the provider to ensure that the switchover is facilitated taking into account any needs of vulnerable customers and those currently needing telecast or other specialist services from their phone line . Ensuring there is battery back up should electricity outages occur
Indeed.
‘If you order a fibre service, a Guernsey Fibre engineer will undertake a pre-installation visit to your premises. During that visit, they will ask you to complete a short checklist, the results of which will indicate whether you are entitled to a free battery backup unit. The checklist will include the following topics:
✓ Whether any household is appreciably more likely to require emergency services, including anyone who has a Lifeline health alarm.
✓ Whether any householder or a household member has a medical condition/disability that could present severe consequences if they could not contact the emergency services.
✓ Whether a householder lives alone AND has limited mobility or a visual or mental impairment that could hamper their ability to seek help in an emergency.
✓ Whether there is no mobile signal within the premises, or whether any householder or household member is not readily able to use a mobile phone.
Once you have completed the short checklist, the engineer will be able to tell you whether you qualify for a free battery backup unit. You are not required to have one installed, if you would prefer not to.
A battery backup unit is available to all other customers, but on a chargeable basis.’
‘I only have a landline – do I need Fibre?
All landlines in Guernsey will be changing to fibre by the end of 2026, so you will receive a letter when your property is ready for switching. Don’t delay in ordering fibre through us – it’s free and costs the same as your current landline (£16.48 per month). The letter will explain how to switch your landline to fibre.’