Openreach has named another 112 telephone exchange areas where it will stop selling old copper-based phone and broadband services. The list, announced on 8 October 2026, covers 619,724 premises.
Stop sell applies once full fibre reaches at least 75% of the premises an exchange serves. Openreach gives providers such as BT, Sky and Vodafone a year's notice. After that, they can't sell new copper services there: if you switch provider, upgrade or change your service, you'll generally move to a digital service such as full fibre.
Which Scottish areas are on the list
Openreach lists 16 Scottish exchanges in this batch. They include exchanges serving:
- Glasgow (Bridgeton and Merrylee exchanges)
- Kirkcaldy (Beveridge exchange) and Newport-on-Tay in Fife
- Stepps in North Lanarkshire
- Biggar in South Lanarkshire
- Innerleithen, Earlston and Coldstream in the Scottish Borders
- Huntly in Aberdeenshire
- Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries and Galloway
- Dechmont, Muirkirk, Fintry, Colmonell and Glenlyon
Elsewhere, the list includes Eastbourne, Hastings, Exmouth, Witney, Redruth, Monmouth and Lampeter. Openreach's announcement has the full list.
What it means for you
If you already have copper broadband, nothing is switched off by this. Existing services carry on for now. The change bites when you order something new.
By 5 November 2026, Openreach says stop sell will be active in 1,663 exchanges covering around 16.4 million premises. Full fibre is now available to more than 23.5 million premises on its network.
This is separate from the analogue phone switch-off. Openreach notes the old phone network closes in under four months, on 31 January 2027, when everyone will need a digital phone service. Our digital landline switchover guide explains what that means for your phone, alarm or telecare.
What to do
If your area is on the list and your contract is ending, it's a good time to move to full fibre on your own terms rather than waiting. Check what your postcode can get, read full fibre explained, and see how to switch broadband.