In December 2020, Salisbury became the first city in the UK to gain complete access to Openreach's full fibre (FTTP) network. Over 90% of the city now has access to fast and full fibre broadband.

Why is Openreach turning away from copper infrastructure?

Traditional telephone networks have now become outdated and are overtaken by more advanced forms of broadband connection like DSL and newer cables. Full-IP networks offer better scope, scalability and flexibility showcasing itself to be the better product. It's now become clear that this is the way forward to meet the demand of future businesses and to have a future-proof alternative.

What this means for Salisbury?

The exact figures show that this fibre network is now available to over 20,000 premises in Salisbury. Following this, Openreach has now issued a 'stop-sell' notice on all it's outdated broadband and phone connections. This means that households will now longer be able to buy the slower FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) that's now been deemed as old and unreliable.

What is this gearing up to?

As previously discussed on our blog, this is in preparation of the full-IP network where households and businesses will need to move over to softphones. Old traditional telephony networks no longer have the scope to meet demand of services and this is huge upgrade to what was available before. This 'turn off' copper is 

When will I be offered Full Fibre broadband?

Openreach is planning to have a total switch off by 2025 and is actioning other trial periods across the UK. The next 'stop-sell' will be in Mildenhall later this year or in 2022 making it easier for consumers and small businesses to switch to faster and more reliable broadband. We're excited that this move is finally being made and paving the way for better phone systems.

The future is now

Full-IP networks are readily available to replace the landline due to outdated copper technology which isn't fit for business use. With over 50+ features which are capable of dealing with heaving inbound and outbound calling. Your small business doesn't have to wait for the impending landline shutdown, we're helping more small businesses switch over to phone systems than any other provider.

To find out how to switch from traditional telephony to a VoIP phone system, speak to our VoIP experts on 0203 697 4166 for a free demo.