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Network access provider Openreach (BT) has today confirmed that the first of their pilot programme of old exchange closures – Deddington (pictured) – has finally shut its doors and slightly ahead of schedule. The move also means that Deddington is the first UK location to see the closure of BT’s copper based Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
Just to recap. The operator currently has c.5,600 UK exchanges, but only c.1,000 of these are needed to provide nationwide coverage of modern “fibre broadband” based services (FTTC, FTTP etc.) – the Openreach Handover Points (OHPs) or “Super Digital Exchanges“. However, the rollout of full fibre (FTTP) technology, combined with the retirement of copper lines and legacy services (ADSL, WLR etc.), will soon make it economically unviable to support both the old and new exchanges.
The operator has thus long since developed a gradual plan for closing the other 4,600 exchanges – known as the Exchange Exit Programme, which starts with an initial pilot of 3 exchanges and then extends to a closure of 105 “priority exchanges” by 2030 (i.e. taking place in four phases over the next 5 years), with the rest then following through the early 2030s.
Deddington is the first pilot exchange to close and also one of the network operator’s smallest – originally serving just 1,800 copper lines. The exchange was officially due to close on 28th November 2025, but it’s managed to achieve that a little ahead of schedule. The local area has now been upgraded to full fibre, with those new digital lines now served and managed by the nearby Banbury Exchange (OHP).
After this come the much larger Ballyclare in N.Ireland (9,500 premises) and Kenton Road in London (9,500 premises) exchanges, which were due to reach the same point just a few days later (aka – Network Cease Date). But as we reported over the weekend, the next two may take a bit longer to completely vacate due to problems with there still being too many active lines / customers (here).
Inside the Deddington Exchange
Closing an exchange and migrating affected customers is a slow and extremely complex process, which typically takes around 4-7 years (depending upon the complexity of each exchange) – starting with a Stop Sell of old products and eventually ending with everything being switched off (only after this do Openreach and ISPs remove their physical kit – usually taking a few months post-closure).
The physical migration of all customer services out of the small Deddington exchange took around 26 months, starting with the halting of the sale of traditional copper-based Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) products and services, in September 2023.
Openreach had to work closely with retail providers to overcome the challenges of identifying lines serving Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) – helping to upgrade everything from traffic light control systems, payment terminals, lift emergency lines, as well as working to safely migrate vulnerable customers and ensuring telecare and telehealth devices work over new digital lines.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, said:
“Closing thousands of ‘legacy’ exchanges is a major undertaking, with several million services needing to be migrated. Deddington has served as a proof of concept, demonstrating our ability to decommission legacy exchanges safely, securely, and collaboratively.
Moving to this new digital world will ultimately benefit everybody. CPs will be able to serve their customers from fewer exchanges, helping to save costs through consolidation of equipment and reduced space and power requirements. And millions of end users will benefit from more reliable and faster fibre-based services – that will be scalable for decades without needing major upgrades.
It’s not just about switching off old kit—it’s about building a future-proofed, simpler network for the UK.”
As previously reported (here), Openreach has already announced that they will start work on the next batch of 12 exchange closures in April 2026. In theory, all of these sites should then reach their Network Closure point by April 2028 and be completely closed by September 2028.
The next 12 exchanges are:
- Staines
- Thames Ditton
- Baynard
- Wraysbury
- Nazeing
- Langford
- Allestree Park
- Beacon
- Childwall
- Lundin Links
- Carrickfergus
- Glengormley
You can see details on all of the operator’s planned exchange closures via their Excel sheet – here.