Networks
Stop-sell
In more and more exchanges you cannot buy the old product even if the old wires still work. That is policy, not a fault on the line.
13 min read · Networks
Stop-sell is a bureaucratic phrase for a physical decision: Openreach will not sell you a new copper product in a place it considers fibre-ready. The old pair in the wall may still sing. The order form will not. People experience this as a shock because nobody names a withdrawal until the day a comparison says “not available”.
What to do when the old product vanishes from the list
Check whether fibre is actually orderable at the premises, not merely “passed”. Compare first-year cost on FTTP as if it were a new market — because for you, it is. If fibre is not ready and copper will not take a new provide, you are in the awkward middle: keep the live line, register for alerts, and do not let a retention team sell you a story about “upgrading” that is actually a longer term on the same cabinet.
Stop-sell is not the PSTN switch-off
| Lever | What it hits | What you notice |
|---|---|---|
| FTTC / copper broadband stop-sell | New broadband orders on old plant | The 80 Mbps product vanished from checkout |
| WLR / PSTN withdrawal | Analogue voice | The handset, the alarm, the lift line |
You can meet both in a year. They still need two checklists. People who smash them together into “they’re turning the internet off” make worse decisions.
The awkward middle
Fibre “passed” but not orderable, copper live but not re-orderable: keep the working line, register interest with the builder, and do not let a retention team sell you a longer term on a cabinet that is being wound down. A comparison that still lists the old 80 Mbps as available in that state is doing you no kindness.
Questions
- My copper still works — why can’t I reorder it?
- Because the exchange or cabinet is on stop-sell. The network wants new orders on fibre. Working copper is not a promise of a new copper product.
- Will I be forced off FTTC tomorrow?
- Not necessarily. Stop-sell is about new provides. Migration of live customers is a longer programme. Watch the letters.
- Is this the landline switch-off?
- Related world, different lever. WLR stop-sell hits voice products. FTTC stop-sell hits the old broadband. You can meet both.
- Should I panic-order fibre?
- Order when you have a product, a price and a date. Do not order because a blog used the word “forced”.
- Can I keep my FTTC forever if I never switch?
- Not forever. Stop-sell is the new-order lever. Migration of live customers is later. Watch the letters; do not invent a midnight cut-off.
- The comparison hid all copper deals.
- If the premises is on stop-sell in the file, new copper provides should not appear as available. That is correct behaviour, not a glitch.
Sources
- Openreach stop-sell programme
- Ofcom copper to fibre migration notes
Figures move. Prices, coverage and eligibility must be confirmed with the provider. OneTouchSwitch is not Ofcom, TOTSCo or a broadband network. Last fact-checked 10 September 2026.
Continue in this issue
Home
14 min read · Home
Home
The landline that still matters
The copper phone network is closing. Most homes will not notice. The ones that will — telecare, lift lines, alarm panels — need a plan before the socket goes quiet.
Networks
14 min read · Networks
Networks
The last fifteen percent
The map is almost finished in the places that were cheap to build. The remainder is weather, distance, and a different kind of patience.
Cover story
18 min read · Cover
Cover story
Three fibres on one street
Britain’s full-fibre build is no longer a promise on a slide. It is a street-level fact — and in many postcodes, more than one network is already at the door.
Practical guides