What is the Openreach stop sell?
In short, stop sell means that Openreach is no longer accepting new orders, making changes to, or upgrading any copper-based products.
The whole of the UK is now in stop sell to give people time to adjust before the full Switch Off in 2025, which will see copper-based products permanently powered down to support a cost-effective and advancing All IP age.
When was the stop sell?
The national Openreach stop sell came into force on 5 September, 2023.
What products does the Openreach stop sell affect?
If your business is currently operating on analogue lines, the following products will be affected:
- Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines
- Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)
- Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC)
- Single lines
- Multi-lines
What are the All IP replacement products?
The new technology replacing outgoing technology includes:
Fibre to the Premises (FTTP)
Full fibre broadband provides end-to-end fibre from the exchange directly to your building – without any copper in sight. The roll out of this technology will allow the UK to move away from the copper wires that are on the way out to something much more resilient that also allows for much faster speeds (up to 1GB). It’s important to note that FTTP is still being rolled out, and is not available in all areas yet, check your postcode in the Daisy Broadband Checker to see if you can get FTTP.
Single order Generic Ethernet Access (SoGEA)
SoGEA is the closest alternative to FTTC broadband and is available to order in many exchange areas — even in areas where full fibre has not yet been enabled. It is broadband, but without the requirement for an underlying PSTN line, which means the connection is reliable with lower interference and instability — and totally future-proof. Remember though, SoGEA is purely a broadband connection, and you will need to make changes to upgrade your phone system.
Leased Line
A Leased Line is a dedicated, fixed-bandwidth data connection. It allows data-hungry businesses to have a reliable, high-quality internet connection with guarantees of upload and download speed, uptime and resilience. This is a dedicated line for your business, so you won’t be competing with other businesses for bandwidth.
Why should I upgrade now instead of in 2025?
There are several reasons to get ahead of the rush and upgrade to new technology before 2025. First and foremost, with the changes being applied nationwide, every business in the UK will need to make the move to new technology. With this volume of work to be undertaken, the sooner you can upgrade the less stress you will encounter getting any required engineer installation time booked. There is also the very real possibility that the process will become more expensive the longer you put it off.
In addition, stop sell has meant that there is an inability to make changes to any legacy products you are still using, so your business’ scalability will be limited as you will not be able to add new lines should you wish to expand.
Finally, upgrading to a future-proof option as soon as possible will prevent any disruption to your business should networks implement degradation of service in your area ahead of the Switch Off.
What are the benefits of All IP solutions?
Upgrading to a future-proof option as soon as possible will not only keep your business connected throughout the Switch Off process, it will also allow you to scale your business up easily when you need to and keep your business secure.
Fibre connectivity is more reliable than copper technology and will offer your business faster speeds. Something that is vital to support the replacement telephony technology — Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
VoIP calling, often also known as cloud or hosted voice, is the future-proof way to make and receive calls where calls will be made via your internet connection. The many benefits to this new technology include more flexible options for your staff to work from anywhere, better call recording and analytics and lower capital expenditure and maintenance with no need for costly on-premise solutions.
Find out more about the benefits of All IP technology in the Daisy Journey to All IP magazine.
Your Journey to All IP starts here
A comprehensive guide on navigating the PSTN Switch Off and beyond.
If I did not upgrade to an All IP product before 5 September, 2023, what does it mean for my phone line and broadband?
You will be able to continue to utilise your copper-based products after the stop sell.
However, it is important to know that these products will eventually be phased out when the PSTN Switch Off occurs in 2025, so it’s best to make the switch sooner rather than later to ensure you don’t experience any disruptions to your business.
How do I know what product I have?
You should be able to find your product information in your contract with your existing supplier, or on your monthly bills. Alternatively, your provider should be able to tell you.
What will happen to my phone number?
Your provider should be able to ensure your business phone number remains unchanged.
What do I need to do?
Your internet/telecoms provider should be able to talk you through the best options for your business, from the best form of connectivity to the set-up of your VoIP system.
If they can’t help you, get in touch with Daisy Communications, where our IP experts are ready and waiting to future-proof your business.
How can Daisy Communications support you?
Daisy Communications is the largest independent telecoms provider in the UK. It works with leading partners like BT, TTB, ITS, CityFibre, Gamma, and more to bring the very best product options to UK businesses.
We can help you get ahead of the Switch Off and be ready for whatever the future holds for your business.
Still have questions?
Request a call with the team at Daisy Communications for a free business review with our experts who can help you through stop sell and beyond.
Related Solutions
Full Fibre Broadband
SoGEA
