Openreach Exchange Closures

We've seen Openreach announce that 4,600 exchanges will close.


Is there a list of which ones anywhere?

Only the 1st 100 due to commence in the next decade
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2020/12/openre...
Going to be a long program

Quite a few central and suburban London exchanges in that list. That's going to be some programme. Good luck to them

I can’t get my head round it anyway, as BT own the exchanges, not Openreach. I can’t work out if it’s BT or Openreach leading this.

If Openreach switch off their kit that doesn’t mean the exchange closes. I can tell you that in a lot of those exchanges most of the kit in there has nothing to do with Openreach.

Some of these exchanges have recently built metro nodes where the EE masts connect to amongst other things....

They are actually leased

In theory openreach could exit a building and leave anything else behind.
With wlr going in a few years and the local loop rapidly moving to fibre that doesn't leave a lot behind bar ethernet (more fibre) and some legacy private service kit that is openreach responsibility.
Everything else is either BT Group or OLOs.
Giving up all that floor space may be enough to make it worth while and then let rest follow to close the building and hand it back.

Sorry yes I know they’re leased, but frequently forget that.

BT Group is the one leasing back the sites. Not Openreach, so if you think of it that way my question still stands. I’m intrigued who is leading this vacation.

In reply to a post by witchunt:

In theory openreach could exit a building and leave anything else behind.
With wlr going in a few years and the local loop rapidly moving to fibre that doesn't leave a lot behind bar ethernet (more fibre) and some legacy private service kit that is openreach responsibility.
Everything else is either BT Group or OLOs.
Giving up all that floor space may be enough to make it worth while and then let rest follow to close the building and hand it back.

Yes exactly, I imagine Openreach pays a rental on the space to BT Group, it must work that way. So even if Openreach move out they’re still saving on their budget.

I’m seeing the same list though in the wider group which is making me wonder if actually it’s not Openreach leading this anyway. Who knows!

Edited by _Icaras_ (Wed 20-Jan-21 11:56:37)

There are some interesting names in there!. I can foresee that some will be taken out when they come to the detail.

Sth Kensington will be interesting as BT have already closed at least 3 exchanges into it. So it hosts 4 exchanges and covers a large areas of West London. .

Icarus

Accounting wise buildings are badged to OR . Most usages are OR products mandated by OFCOM, (LLU, Backhaus, Cable ties, etc.) so it is only Metro/Core nodes that the space is rented by BY Wholesale. .

In reply to a post by kitcat:

Icarus

Accounting wise buildings are badged to OR . Most usages are OR products mandated by OFCOM, (LLU, Backhaus, Cable ties, etc.) so it is only Metro/Core nodes that the space is rented by BY Wholesale. .

LLU products aren't OpenReach products.
LLU kit is owned by BT Wholesale and the other LLU operators.

The space LLU equipment takes is rented/leased by BT Wholesale, Sky, Talktalk etc.