Ofcom Relaxes Copper Retirement Threshold in UK
Ofcom has made an adjustment to Openreach's UK full fibre threshold for copper retirement. The regulator will now let Openreach begin altering wholesale prices of copper connections once ultrafast broadband (300Mbps+) is available to 90% of premises in an exchange area, rather than 100%. This change aims to reflect the reality that some areas may be practically impossible to reach with a 100% FTTP build due to exceptional premises.
Currently, Openreach invests £15bn to expand FTTP broadband lines to cover 25 million premises by the end of December 2026. The Two Copper Retirement Thresholds remain largely unchanged for the 2026-2031 period: first threshold at 75% FTTP coverage with 12 months' notice, and second threshold requiring 100% ultrafast coverage in an exchange area.
Ofcom's decision involves a fixed percentage approach to excluding premises from the second threshold. This means Openreach will only need to reach 90% ultrafast coverage instead of 100%. The exclusions can be applied from April 1, 2029 onwards. Prior to this date, Openreach would not be able to exclude premises.