Openreach is planning major price hikes to force business users off old copper networks

• Openreach is forcing businesses to upgrade by making legacy systems more expensive
• All technical barriers have now been eliminated, making an upgrade a no-brainer
• "If you're provider hasn't contact you, you need to ask why"

Openreach has already set out plans to shut down the UK's old phone network by January 31, 2027, but around half a million business lines are yet to migrate and the deadline is looming.

For context, the copper-based PSTN (public switched telephone network) is being replaced by a fiber-based network, and Openreach has already resolved all technical barriers such as telecare protections.

So, to force businesses to upgrade ahead of the deadline, prices for legacy business lines are set to rise sharply three times this year, starting with a 20% increase from April and then two 40% price hikes in July and October.

Business copper connections will cost more soon

The result is that copper lines will cost around twice as much as last year come October, making it an incredibly costly system to hold onto.

"We’ve spent the last year ensuring telecare customers can be migrated safely through our ‘Prove Telecare’ service, removing the final barrier to the switch-off," All-IP Director James Lilley explained (via thinkbroadband).

Most major telecoms firms have already contracted their customers to move them away from legacy systems. Openreach is recommending that those who have not been contacted should change provider. "If your provider hasn’t contacted you, you need to ask why," Lilley added.

In September 2025, Openreach warned that while full fiber had been made available to 20 million households, only 38% of them had made the switch. "Upgrades don’t often happen automatically, so people need to contact their broadband provider to make the switch," CEO Clive Selley stressed.

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