Openreach has issued details about the upcoming deadline as it told people what to do in advance
Almost three million phone users in the UK have been alerted to an upcoming switch-off. Openreach, a subsidiary of BT Group that builds and runs the nation’s broadband network, has told 2.8 million phoneline customers about upcoming changes they need to act on.
In a new post on X, formerly Twitter, the organisation said: “The copper phone network (PSTN) switches off in January 2027, so if you’re still using analogue lines, it’s time to switch to full fibre. With 2.8 million customers still to migrate, don’t wait, make the switch now!”
For people not familiar with the language, a digital phone line allows you to make and receive calls over an internet connection, rather than through the use of traditional copper wires. It works like video calling apps. Your phone connects to your broadband router (either directly or wirelessly) and in most cases, you can keep using your existing handset.
James Lilley at Openreach said: “With the PSTN due to switch off at the end of January 2027, CPs, communication providers, need to act now to move customers.” He added: “The fiber network is much more reliable. It can be actually up to 60% more reliable than copper, and in some cases, it’s now cheaper to move to a fiber service than it is staying on your existing PSTN [public switched telephone network] service.”
He then added: “We’ve got 2.8 million customers still to migrate before January 2027. We’re currently moving about 46,000 customers a week, but that needs to be 52,000 customers a week to make sure that we hit our deadline.”
What is happening to the copper phone network and when is deadline?
Openreach says that by January 31 2027, all UK providers must move from analogue to digital phone lines. Some providers may upgrade you sooner, especially when you change provider, renew your contract, or update your service.
John Livermore at Openreach stressed that the deadline was a lot closer that people realised. He said: “For local authorities, for government, in fact for utilities and many other companies, they really need to think about these last few days. We talk about a year to go—in fact, take out your working days, take out your bank holidays, you’re at 260 days to go.”
Colleague Juliette Scott said: “What we don’t need is people starting to put their orders in in the winter, when obviously it’s a lot darker and we have less hours anyway. We certainly need to be getting customers moved well before the deadline date.”
David Halliday at OTA2 said: “There’s more to do, and especially when you think about businesses as well. And I think that’s our main concern. It’s not just consumers, but businesses that don’t even know it’s happening.”
Jodie McGovern of Zen Internet said: “For business end customers, there’s a really good opportunity there for those customers to make sure that they are future-proofing their businesses from an operational point of view.”
Dawn Wheeler said: “Don’t wait. The prices are gonna go up. The things are going to fail. Breakdowns are going to cost you time, and it’s going to cost you effort.”
What can I do about the copper network changes?
Openreach say you can use their Fibre checker to see if Full Fibre is available in your area. If it is, you will usually get a digital phone line as standard when you order a phone service. If not, your provider will let you know when it’s time to upgrade.
