- Openreach is forcing businesses to upgrade by making legacy systems more expensive
- All technical barriers have now been removed, making an upgrade a no-brainer
- “If your provider hasn’t contacted you, ask why”
Openreach has already set out plans to shut down the UK’s legacy telephone network by 31 January 2027, but around half a million business lines have yet to migrate and the deadline is looming.
For consistency, the copper-based PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is being replaced by a fiber-based network, and Openreach has already resolved all technical barriers such as telecare protection.
So to force companies to upgrade before the deadline, prices for legacy business areas are set to rise sharply three times this year, starting with a 20% increase from April and then two 40% price increases in July and October.
Business copper connections will soon cost more
The result is that copper lines will cost about twice as much as last year in October, making it an incredibly expensive system to maintain.
“We have spent the last year ensuring that telecare customers can be safely migrated through our ‘Prove Telecare’ service, which has removed the final barrier to the shutdown,” explained All-IP director James Lilley (via think broadband).
Most major telecommunications companies have already contracted with their customers to move them away from legacy systems. Openreach recommends that those who have not been contacted change providers. “If your provider hasn’t contacted you, ask why,” Lilley added.
By September 2025, Openreach warned that while full fiber had been made available to 20 million households, only 38% of them had made the switch. “Upgrades don’t often happen automatically, so people have to contact their broadband provider to switch,” stressed CEO Clive Selley.
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