The UK's transition from copper to full-fibre networks has reached a significant milestone, with the first telephone exchange officially decommissioned. Deddington in Oxfordshire is no longer supplying homes with phone and internet services via copper lines, marking the start of a nationwide phase-out.
Openreach, BT's infrastructure arm, confirmed that customers previously served by the Deddington exchange now rely solely on Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology for connectivity. Around 1,800 copper lines in the area have been upgraded, with services now managed from the Banbury Openreach Handover Point (OHP).
Deddington is the first of three pilot exchanges to close, with Ballyclare in Northern Ireland and Kenton Road in London set to follow by the end of November. Openreach plans to retire approximately 4,600 copper-based exchanges across the UK, consolidating them into 1,000 modern 'super digital exchanges' known as OHPs.
James Lilley, Openreach's Managed Customer Migrations Director, described the project as a major undertaking involving the migration of millions of services. He said Deddington proves the company can safely retire old infrastructure, adding that the transition will benefit everyone through faster, more reliable connections and reduced costs for providers.
The next 12 postcodes on the list include areas such as Wraysbury, Childwall, Glengormley, and Staines. Nationwide 'stop sell' measures are already in place, giving providers like BT, Sky, Plusnet, and TalkTalk deadlines to end copper-based contracts and migrate customers to full-fibre broadband and Digital Voice services.
