{"id":43994,"date":"2025-11-26T09:32:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T09:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=43994"},"modified":"2025-11-26T09:50:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T09:50:26","slug":"openreach-officially-closes-first-legacy-uk-exchange-deddington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/11\/openreach-officially-closes-first-legacy-uk-exchange-deddington.html","title":{"rendered":"Openreach Officially Closes First Legacy UK Exchange – Deddington"},"content":{"rendered":"

Network access provider Openreach<\/a> (BT<\/a>) has today confirmed that the first of their pilot programme of old exchange closures – Deddington (pictured) – has finally shut its doors and slightly ahead of schedule. The move also means that Deddington is the first UK location to see the closure of BT<\/a>\u2019s copper based Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).<\/p>\n

Just to recap. The operator currently has c.5,600 UK exchanges<\/strong>, but only c.1,000 of these are needed to provide nationwide coverage of modern \u201cfibre broadband<\/em>\u201d based services (FTTC<\/a>, FTTP<\/a> etc.) \u2013 the Openreach<\/a> Handover Points<\/strong> (OHPs) or “Super Digital Exchanges<\/em>“. However, the rollout of full fibre (FTTP<\/a>) technology, combined with the retirement of copper lines and legacy services (ADSL<\/a>, WLR etc.), will soon make it economically unviable to support both the old and new exchanges.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> Openreach<\/a> previously predicted that, come 2025, the number of copper broadband customers being served by the old 4,600 exchanges would fall to just 1 million.<\/div>\n

The operator has thus long since developed a gradual plan for closing the other 4,600 exchanges \u2013 known as the Exchange Exit Programme<\/strong><\/a>, which starts with an initial pilot of 3 exchanges and then extends to a closure of 105 \u201cpriority exchanges<\/em>\u201d by 2030 (i.e. taking place in four phases over the next 5 years), with the rest then following through the early 2030s.<\/p>\n

Deddington is the first pilot exchange to close and also one of the network operator’s smallest – originally serving just 1,800 copper lines. The exchange was officially due to close on 28th November 2025, but it’s managed to achieve that a little ahead of schedule. The local area has now been upgraded to full fibre, with those new digital lines now served and managed by the nearby Banbury Exchange<\/strong> (OHP).<\/p>\n

After this come the much larger Ballyclare<\/strong> in N.Ireland (9,500 premises) and Kenton Road<\/strong> in London (9,500 premises) exchanges, which were due to reach the same point just a few days later (aka \u2013 Network Cease Date<\/em>). But as we reported over the weekend, the next two may take a bit longer to completely vacate due to problems with there still being too many active lines \/ customers (here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Inside the Deddington Exchange<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Openreach-Deddington-Exchange-Interior-Empty\"<\/p>\n

Closing an exchange and migrating affected customers is a slow and extremely complex process, which typically takes around 4-7 years (depending upon the complexity of each exchange) \u2013 starting with a Stop Sell<\/strong> of old products and eventually ending with everything being switched off (only after this do Openreach and ISPs remove their physical kit – usually taking a few months post-closure).<\/p>\n

The physical migration of all customer services out of the small Deddington exchange took around 26 months, starting with the halting of the sale of traditional copper-based Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) products and services, in September 2023.<\/p>\n

Openreach had to work closely with retail providers to overcome the challenges of identifying lines serving Critical National Infrastructure<\/strong> (CNI) \u2013 helping to upgrade everything from traffic light control systems, payment terminals, lift emergency lines, as well as working to safely migrate vulnerable customers and ensuring telecare and telehealth devices work over new digital lines.<\/p>\n

James Lilley, Openreach\u2019s Managed Customer Migrations Director, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cClosing thousands of \u2018legacy\u2019 exchanges is a major undertaking, with several million services needing to be migrated. Deddington has served as a proof of concept, demonstrating our ability to decommission legacy exchanges safely, securely, and collaboratively.<\/p>\n

Moving to this new digital world will ultimately benefit everybody. CPs will be able to serve their customers from fewer exchanges, helping to save costs through consolidation of equipment and reduced space and power requirements. And millions of end users will benefit from more reliable and faster fibre-based services \u2013 that will be scalable for decades without needing major upgrades.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just about switching off old kit\u2014it\u2019s about building a future-proofed, simpler network for the UK.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As previously reported (here<\/a>), Openreach has already announced that they will start work on the next batch of 12 exchange closures in April 2026. In theory, all of these sites should then reach their Network Closure point by April 2028 and be completely closed by September 2028. <\/p>\n

The next 12 exchanges are:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n