Will FTTC Be Phased Out?
Yes — but not everywhere on one date. Here is how FTTC, the January 2027 phone-network switch-off and Openreach’s move to Full Fibre actually fit together.
Yes, FTTC will be phased out gradually as Openreach moves customers from copper-based broadband to Full Fibre. But there is no single nationwide date when every FTTC line stops working. The PSTN telephone network is due to close on 31 January 2027, while Openreach says the copper line used for FTTC can remain in service until Full Fibre reaches the premises.
The old analogue telephone network is being retired. This is not the same as every FTTC connection ending that day.
Where Full Fibre is widely available, Openreach is progressively restricting new legacy copper-based orders.
FTTC can remain where FTTP is not yet available, but the long-term direction is migration away from copper.
Is FTTC actually being phased out?
Yes. FTTC depends on copper for the final section into the property, and Openreach is ultimately retiring that copper network.
FTTC, or Fibre to the Cabinet, uses fibre from the exchange to the street cabinet and then a copper line from the cabinet to your home. That final copper section is why FTTC is part of the wider copper-retirement programme even though most of the journey is already fibre.
Ofcom’s latest copper-retirement framework says customers on Openreach’s legacy copper network will move over time to Openreach FTTP or rival networks. As migration progresses, the old copper network can then be retired instead of running alongside fibre.
So the direction is clear: FTTC is not the long-term end state of the UK broadband network. Full Fibre and other gigabit-capable connections are replacing it progressively.
If you want the technology itself explained first, see our guide to what part-fibre broadband means.
Will FTTC stop working on 31 January 2027?
No — not simply because the PSTN switch-off reaches its deadline.
The date that causes the most confusion is 31 January 2027. That is the deadline for retiring the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network, or PSTN. It means old analogue phone services are being replaced by digital alternatives.
FTTC is affected because it still uses copper infrastructure. However, Openreach’s own FTTC guidance says the copper line from the street cabinet to the home can remain in service until Full Fibre reaches the area. In other words, retiring analogue phone service does not require every FTTC broadband connection to vanish on the same day.
Traditional analogue phone service
The old PSTN is being withdrawn. Customers who still use a landline will need a digital voice solution or another suitable replacement.
The FTTC copper broadband tail
Where Full Fibre has not reached the premises, the copper section used to deliver FTTC can remain in service rather than being removed solely because the PSTN closes.
For the wider phone-network migration, use our dedicated Openreach copper switch-off guide. This page stays focused on what happens specifically to FTTC broadband.
Why is FTTC already becoming harder to order?
Openreach’s Stop Sell programme pushes new orders towards Full Fibre where the replacement network is ready.
Openreach activates Stop Sell in exchange areas after Full Fibre reaches more than 75% of premises. Where the rules apply and FTTP is available, customers who want to switch, upgrade or regrade a service are generally moved towards Full Fibre rather than a new legacy copper product.
Openreach uses high Full Fibre coverage across an exchange area as a trigger for progressively stopping sales of older products.
Customers changing or ordering qualifying services can be directed away from legacy copper products and onto FTTP.
Openreach says customers at premises without Full Fibre are not affected in the same way and can remain on existing copper-based services until FTTP reaches them.
Openreach continued expanding Stop Sell during 2026. In January it announced another 132 exchange locations covering 1.23 million premises, and in May another 238 exchange locations covering 1.69 million premises.
What if my area only has FTTC?
You should not assume your broadband will simply be disconnected because FTTP has not reached you yet.
Openreach explicitly says that customers in Stop Sell exchange areas who cannot yet get Full Fibre at their premises can stay on their existing copper-based service until Full Fibre becomes available. Ofcom’s September 2026 copper-retirement decision also keeps protections in place for premises where FTTP is not available.
The transition is designed to follow network availability rather than force every household off FTTC on one national date. That matters particularly in harder-to-reach locations where Full Fibre build is taking longer.
Openreach says FTTC currently reaches around 96% of the UK, while its Full Fibre network is still being extended. Its target is 25 million premises by the end of 2026 and 30 million by 2030, subject to its stated conditions.
If you are unsure what network your provider is using, our Openreach network guide explains the difference between FTTC, FTTP and other Openreach services.
When will FTTC finally disappear?
There is no single published date for the final nationwide FTTC line, but the policy direction keeps moving towards copper retirement.
Ofcom’s 2026–31 framework is designed to make copper retirement easier as Full Fibre coverage grows and more customers migrate. In September 2026, Ofcom confirmed another step in that process while keeping price protections for premises where FTTP is not yet available.
Ofcom says Openreach will be able to increase copper prices in exchange areas with more than 90% ultrafast coverage, creating another incentive for migration to modern networks.
Openreach says it plans to close 108 telephone exchanges by the end of 2030 as it modernises the network into a smaller number of digital exchanges.
Those dates show the direction of travel, but neither means all FTTC across the UK will definitely end on that exact date. Premises that have not yet gained a suitable replacement need to be handled differently.
If Full Fibre is already available at your address: compare the speed, total contract cost and installation terms before your next FTTC renewal rather than assuming the older connection will remain the best-value option.
Compare broadbandFTTC is on the way out — but the transition is gradual
The important date is not a universal FTTC switch-off. January 2027 is the PSTN deadline. FTTC can continue where the copper tail is still needed, particularly where Full Fibre has not reached a property. Over the longer term, Stop Sell, FTTP expansion, copper retirement and exchange closures all point in the same direction: FTTC will become a legacy service and progressively give way to Full Fibre.
FTTC → FTTP
FTTC phase-out FAQs
Short answers to the main questions about the future of FTTC broadband.
Will FTTC be phased out?
Yes. FTTC is being phased out gradually as Openreach expands Full Fibre and retires its copper network. There is no single nationwide date when every FTTC connection will stop.
Will FTTC stop working in January 2027?
Not necessarily. The PSTN telephone network is due to be retired on 31 January 2027, but Openreach says the copper line from the street cabinet to a home can remain in service for FTTC until Full Fibre reaches that area.
Can I still get FTTC if Full Fibre is not available?
In areas where Full Fibre is not available at a premises, existing copper-based services can continue. Availability of new FTTC orders depends on the local exchange, provider and Openreach Stop Sell rules.
Sources checked
Current Openreach and Ofcom material used to distinguish the PSTN switch-off from the longer FTTC and copper-retirement process.
- Openreach — Fibre to the Cabinet Broadband — explains how FTTC works and states that the cabinet-to-home copper line can remain in service until Full Fibre reaches the area.
- Openreach, 22 January 2026 — Stop Sell expansion covering another 132 exchanges and 1.23 million premises.
- Openreach, 15 May 2026 — further Stop Sell expansion covering another 238 exchanges and 1.69 million premises.
- Ofcom, 9 September 2026 — latest decision on the second threshold of the copper-retirement framework.
- Ofcom, 17 March 2026 — Telecoms Access Review decisions supporting the final phase of Full Fibre rollout and gradual copper retirement.
- Ofcom, September 2026 — states that from April 2029 Openreach can increase copper prices in exchange areas above the relevant ultrafast-coverage threshold.
- Openreach — Telephone Exchange Upgrade — details the gradual copper-network retirement and the plan to close 108 telephone exchanges by the end of 2030.