8 01732 759725 TELEPHONY of ‘legacy’ 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. “Moving to this new digital world will ultimately benefit everybody. Communication providers 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 that will be scalable for decades without needing major upgrades. It’s not just about switching off old kit, it’s about building a future-proofed, simpler network for the UK.” Following closure of its three pilot exchanges, Openreach plans to exit a further 105 ‘priority exchanges’ by December 2030. The next 12 due to be closed, starting in April 2026, with a twoyear window to move customers onto All IP, are Staines, Thames Ditton, Baynard, Wraysbury, Nazeing, Langford, Allestree Park, Beacon, Childwall, Lundin Links, Carrickfergus and Glengormley. www.openreach.com traditional copper-based phone and broadband voice services that will no longer be required once customers have migrated to fibre. Digital networks using fibre cables and software-based switches need far less physical space than traditional copperbased analogue systems, which require large exchanges to house bulky switches and miles of copper wiring. The move to digital means that Openreach will need just 1,000 ‘super digital exchanges’, also called Openreach Handover Points (OHPs), to serve the whole of the UK. On average each OHP replaces 4-5 traditional exchanges, with some in urban areas replacing 10 or more. In Deddington, around 1,800 copper lines providing connectivity to local homes and businesses have now been upgraded to full fibre, with the new digital lines served and managed by nearby Banbury Exchange, one of Openreach’s new ‘super digital exchanges.’ Closing an exchange and migrating affected customers typically takes around 4-7 years, depending on the size and complexity of each exchange. James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, said: “Closing thousands The Deddington Exchange in Oxfordshire has become the first of 4,600 exchanges across the UK to be fully de-commissioned as part of the nationwide shift from copper networks to digital full fibre infrastructure. The rural exchange has also become the first UK location to completely shut down BT’s copperbased public switched telephone network (PSTN), which uses copper wires to carry analogue voice signals, with all end customers upgraded to digital full fibre. Deddington is one of three pilot exchanges being closed by Openreach, along with Ballyclare in Northern Ireland and Kenton Rd in London, as part of its longterm plan to exit 4,600 exchanges currently used to support Openreach passes digital milestone with closure of first of 4,600 exchanges The shut-down begins Carrot and stick Price rises on the way for users of Openreach’s copper-based products Openreach is hoping to accelerate the rate at which communications providers migrate customers to digital alternatives before legacy services are switched off in January 2027 by announcing steep price rises for four of its copper-based products and services. From April 1 2026, rental prices for Openreach’s Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) products will increase by 20%, with a further price rise to 40% above the current level in July and then another 40% rise in October. At the same time, Openreach is offering Communication Providers (CPs) more incentives to encourage customers to switch to digital alternatives, for example by providing them with free or discounted connections when they upgrade customers to SOGEA, an alternative service providing a digital line where full fibre is not yet available. These pricing changes follow Openreach’s launch in October of Prove Telecare, a migration service that enables telecare users (often elderly or vulnerable people) to move to digital phone lines without losing access to life‑saving devices. Openreach says there are currently around three million lines that need to be upgraded to digital alternatives before the deadline – with a conversion rate needed of around 47k every week. Starting on February 1, 2027, Openreach plans to move these customers to an emergency, very limited, voice-only service that is not reliant on the PSTN but which can emulate PSTN-like features to support legacy equipment.
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