The copper switch off: when will it happen & will I be affected?
30th January, 2025 | Home / Blog / Broadband technology / The copper switch off: when will it happen & will I be affected?Reading time: 9 minutes
Updated: 3rd July 2026
BT Openreach is retiring all of its copper wire telephone lines in what is known as The Copper Switch Off. It’s a huge infrastructure shift and will affect every household with a landline.
What is ‘the copper switch off’?
For many decades now, the UK’s nationwide Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), which is operated by BT Group’s Openreach, has supplied and maintained the copper phone line needed for landline and certain broadband connections.
It’s 2026, though, and this ageing technology is no longer quite up to the task. At least, not according to our modern, speedy standards.
So Openreach is retiring all of its copper broadband and telephone line networks, in favour of new, faster and more reliable fibre broadband technology.
Copper has supported the UK’s telephone services since 1911, as well as broadband connections since the introduction of ADSL (asymmetric-digital-subscriber-line), and more recently, fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC). But the technology is outdated, and there are now better options, like full fibre (fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP)).
Openreach has shared that once an exchange is able to serve at least 75% of an area with FTTP, it’ll stop selling copper cable-reliant products and services.
When will the copper switch-off happen?
The copper switch-off is due to be completed by the 31st of January 2027.
Until recently, the analogue switch-off was due to be completed by December 2025, but this has been delayed until January 2027 to give internet service providers and consumers additional time to get ready and adapt.
Will the copper switch-off affect me?
If you rely on a copper line for your landline, telecare services or broadband, this will affect you unless you upgrade to full-fibre services beforehand.
If you already have a fibre service, you won’t be affected at all, as you’re not relying on copper wires for your connection.
There are around about 25 million homes in the UK. To connect each will take a lot of time and resources, as a whole new network needs to be built from scratch. This involves erecting new poles, laying cable into existing ducts, and even building new ducts in place of ones which have collapsed or are unusable.
Not all homes will be able to receive a fibre service by the switch-off date, and some may never. These homes will instead switch to a mobile service such as 4G for their landline and broadband.
If you currently have FTTC, but not FTTP, don’t worry; your broadband won’t be affected by the switch-off, as the copper lines which run from your home will be kept live until you have a new full-fibre service, even after the switch-off date.
It’s only the copper cables which run from the street cabinets to the local telephone exchange and beyond that will be retired.
What is Digital Voice?
Digital Voice is the name of the new home phone service that BT Openreach is shifting landlines to. It’s a shortened version of Digital ‘Voice over Internet Protocol’ (VoIP).
VoIP uses a home broadband connection to transmit calls instead of the old copper phone line network. Openreach decided to retire the copper lines (which is a huge undertaking) in order to bring all their technologies together onto one smart network, future-proofing landline connectivity and other important connections.
The true value of this shift will only be clear in the coming years, but already, it will hugely improve the quality and reliability of your home phone calls. Why and how, you ask? Well, fibre optic cables have a far larger capacity and convert your call into data packets before routing them digitally (much like WhatsApp).
Will Airband customers move to Digital Voice?
In short: no, but that’s not a bad thing.
From all the talk about the copper switch-off, you might think that Digital Voice is the name of the UK’s new phone network. It isn’t – it’s more of a brand name.
Digital Voice is, to be specific, BT’s VoIP digital phone service – many providers offer VoIP services under different names.
For Airband customers, that service is Airband Talk.
Like Digital Voice, Airband Talk lets you make and receive calls over your broadband connection, so you’re making the most of modern digital telephone networks.
However, it’s important to note that Airband broadband customers won’t automatically be moved onto Airband Talk. Why, you ask? Well, because Airband has been ahead of the game for years, we’ve never actually operated on the traditional copper lines.
This means that if you currently have a landline alongside your Airband broadband, and you don’t have Airband Talk, your phone service is almost certainly provided by a different company. As the copper switch-off comes up in your area, your existing provider will contact you about the future of your landline.
If you’d prefer to bring your phone service over to Airband, you’ll simply need to order Airband Talk separately. Once set up, you’ll be able to make calls over your Airband broadband connection, and your home will officially be future-proofed ahead of the copper switch-off.
Will I ever be upgraded to full fibre?
As mentioned before, some UK premises won’t get an FTTP connection straight away, or at all. Specifically, rural locations are less likely to be connected by the switch-off date, or at all, because there are more challenges associated with rural locations, and it costs more to connect them.
This is because rural properties are likely further apart, in more challenging terrain, and therefore require more manpower and resources per connection.
The good news is that if you can’t get an FTTP connection, there are alternative ways to get broadband to your property, such as 4G, satellite and fixed wireless broadband, which can all deliver much better speeds than ADSL connections for a similar price.
Airband is a rural broadband specialist, delivering fibre-to-the-premises broadband where other providers can’t, or won’t, go. We offer a range of broadband packages, fibre and wireless, which range all the way to 900Mbps, so there’s bound to be a package perfect for you.
Use our broadband coverage checker to find out if you’re in range for an ultrafast connection with Airband.
How should I prepare for the copper switch-off?
There are some devices that you may not have noticed rely on a copper-based connection, such as security systems. It may be worth doing an audit of your home or business before the switch-off date for anything that may be affected, so that you don’t get any nasty surprises.
If one of your services is likely to be affected by the switch-off, it is your service provider’s job to keep you informed – so don’t stress. You won’t wake up one morning with all your technology suddenly obsolete!
Tip: Read our blog on the copper switch-off scams to stay safe during this process.
What else you might need to know about the copper switch-off
Is full fibre broadband future-proof?
Yes. Fibre optic cables offer extremely high-capacity modern solutions and will connect local homes and businesses to the local exchange.
Do you need a landline phone to get fibre network connections?
No, that’s the great thing about fibre broadband – no phone line required.
Find out more about why you don’t need a phone line to get broadband.
Why is a fibre network better than old copper cables?
Full fibre is faster, better and more reliable than the old copper products. Everything gets quicker and more reliable for homes and businesses.
Faster online streaming and better connections for video conferencing on Microsoft Teams, and so on. If you use cutting-edge voice technology, that will also be that much faster.
Can you still make phone calls when you upgrade to fibre broadband?
Yes, that’s one of the fantastic benefits of the future-proof fibre. When you upgrade to the fibre network, your phone calls are made through the internet, using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). That’s why you don’t need a phone line to sign up for fibre.
Get started with our VoIP service, Airband Talk, now from as little as £8/month with our fibre broadband.
What is a public switched telephone network?
Simply put, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) is the main telephone network which allows you to make landline telephone calls.
What is an integrated service digital network?
The integrated service digital network (ISDN) is similar to the PTSN, as this network also uses the same copper cable infrastructure a lot of the time. But it can also use fibre optic cables.
The PSTN and ISDN will both be retired in 2027. After this, phone lines will use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology instead. This is also the same with other systems that use ISDN or PSTN, like older CCTV networks and security systems.
Upgrade now with Airband
If you’re thinking of upgrading your service to FTTP, use our coverage checker to see if you’re in range for an ultrafast Airband connection.
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