Remaining legacy exchanges to close by end of decade

Tue, 27/06/2023 - 13:38
Openreach

Openreach is signalling the final call for traditional telephone exchanges as it prepares close the remaining 4,600 by the end of the decade.

Consultation has begun with communication providers such as Sky, Vodafone, TalkTalk and BT about how this will play out.

CSO Richard Allwood said: “But the recent explosive growth in new digital fibre-based services means the majority of these iconic communication hubs will soon route their last ever call.”

Openreach is planning in stages with the first 103 exchanges, with the highest running costs, to close by December 2030.

Most of the remaining 4,500 exchanges will likely follow in the early 2030s.

Allwood continues: “Moving to this new digital world will ultimately benefit everybody from CPs to millions of end users. Getting this done will require strong collaboration across the industry.”