End of Copper Openreach Network

At the present time we have 70mb FTTC broadband + telephone fed by an overhead cable from a combined telephone / electricity pole which is connected via overhead cables back to a green roadside fibre cabinet over a distance of approximately 100m.

The existing telephone/broadband copper enters the house in a very inaccessible part of the attic with no power point and connects to a 1m away VDSL equipped master socket. The existing modem router is located a very awkward cable run from the VDSL equipped master socket

When Openreach shuts the copper network what changes will it force upon us - new equipment, wiring etc?

Will Openreach need to install a modem? If so the existing master socket location would be very difficult and there is no power supply.

Is there anything that we need to consider if buying new telephone/ computer / network equipment now that we hope to still be using after the copper shutdown?

OpenReach at present are not shutting down the copper network. They will move voice to digital but that will use a broadband line and can be on ADSL, FTTC or FTTP.

If OpenReach bring fibre to your area and offer it to you then it will be a matter of running the fibre into your house and connecting it to a modem they supply (this could change in future but if it does then other options will be available). As long as the route isn't too complicated the fibre point can go anywhere - it has no requirement to be anywhere near the current master socket.

At that point it connects to a router exactly as it does now. There is nothing in your house you need to change for any of the current services - the presentation from the router will be exactly the same as it is now.

To take full advantage of fibre you may choose to upgrade wifi setups (access points or end user equipment) or faster network cards if you have very old devices. But you don't have to do any of this if you are happy that some devices might not be able to max out the line.

With digital voice there is the change that you have to unplug the cable from the phone socket and plug it into the back of the router (I did it this morning, took about 30 seconds). If your router isn't where you want the phone then BT do have products on offer to resolve this. The big change is that if there is a power cut then the phone line will be cut unless you have a UPS - but if you use a cordless handset then this would already be an issue anyway.

So, in summary they aren't turning off copper nationally any time soon. If you do get the option of FTTP in future then generally it has very little impact on your setup apart from the potential for a faster and more stable connection.

My incoming line was much the same - an inaccessible corner of the loft, although there is power there. I ran in some 20mm conduit from point of entry to exactly where I wanted the fibre termination.

The current single port ONTs are, I believe, PoE although they are supplied with a 12v PSU, what will happen in future? No idea, but PoE may be your way out.


AS for what to consider when updating your network ... Gbit compatible throughout. You may want your own router - so go for one which has the capability to create a PPPoE session. That will remove the ISP interface - unless you will be happy with that.


If you are buying a new phone - look at a VoIP ATA or combined VoIP/Analog DECT system

In reply to a post by chris52:

The existing telephone/broadband copper enters the house in a very inaccessible part of the attic with no power point and connects to a 1m away VDSL equipped master socket. The existing modem router is located a very awkward cable run from the VDSL equipped master socket

When Openreach shuts the copper network what changes will it force upon us - new equipment, wiring etc?

As mentioned the copper network isn't disappearing overnight 2025 is mentioned but might move.

As for FTTP being installed, the vast majority of the fibre where I live is installed overhead via poles. We have had a couple of farms that had FTTP installed. One, the contractors dug a trench about 200 metres long with a small digger from the road to the farmhouse. Didn't take them long at all. Given how far they were from the existing FTTC cabinet, their speeds must have rocketed.

And there is nothing to say some other company might do the install of FTTP. In our very rural hamlet, we went from an OR only network to a local ISP coming along doing the FTTP install. Took them, using their own contractors, 3 weeks from the initial fibre pull in to people going live. They supplied the necessary kit to get connected i.e. all in one router (OR do things slightly differently from what I've read). Anything internal would be yours to sort.

But I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Might be years yet. Unless, of course, you've been notified of change.

Thank you the that explanation. A little clarification please. Are digital phone lines linked to FTTP provision or is it independent of it?

When Openreach bring us digital telephone what goes between the telegraph pole in the road and the modem? Is it one continuous cable (copper or optical) or are there connectors and does the existing master socket remain?

I am assuming that the internal telephones would connect back to the modem rather than the existing master socket.

The ‘voice’ bit of the circuit will be coming from a telephone Jack on the back of the CP router

As mentioned the copper network isn't disappearing overnight 2025 is mentioned but might move.

It is voice services from exchange based equipment (PSTN) that is going in 2025

If punters still want ‘a landline’ it will be provided via VOIP or similar .

How customers get their data will change more slowly as the various options roll out. People still getting service over a copper pair from a street cabinet will be around for a while longer yet

Thank you everyone for the information.

As mentioned the copper network isn't disappearing overnight 2025 is mentioned but might move.

Nobody mentioned that. The standard telephone socket will be moved over to a delivery via the broadband line, the broadband line itself may still be copper. BT have as far as I know made no announcement of a date when they plan to have got rid of copper, I am pretty certain it isn't 2025 as they will need full FTTP (or alternative) coverage before they can stop copper.

In reply to a post by chris52:

Thank you the that explanation. A little clarification please. Are digital phone lines linked to FTTP provision or is it independent of it?

When Openreach bring us digital telephone what goes between the telegraph pole in the road and the modem? Is it one continuous cable (copper or optical) or are there connectors and does the existing master socket remain?

I am assuming that the internal telephones would connect back to the modem rather than the existing master socket.

I think this has already pretty much been answered but as it was a reply to my post...

The digital voice is delivered over an Internet connection. As I said that could be ADSL, VDSL, FTTP or to be honest anything else. Essentially all BT need is an Internet connection - as long as they can put their router on the end of it they can deliver it over even relatively low capacity Internet links and possibly will do if people don't have an Internet connection at their premises.

As I said before my phone is now connected direct to a phone socket on the back of the modem - switched over this morning. All seems fine.