Stop sell has started: what you need to know right now

You’ve probably heard about the stop sell of copper services that will take effect in 2023, followed by complete switch off in 2025.

At that point we’ll all be enjoying the benefits of full fibre connectivity, but that won’t just magically happen overnight. Ubiquitous full fibre coverage and the end of copper services will be the culmination of a process that has already begun.

In this series of blogs, we’ll introduce you to everything you need to know right now about stop sell, highlighting the key dates in the process and some of the things you can do to get ready.

It’s already started

When we talk about ‘stop sell’, we’re referring to the withdrawal from sale of a range of products that rely on the old Openreach copper network.

So, think of those old analogue phone lines and ADSL broadband connections for example. From given dates you’ll no longer be able to order those services from certain exchanges.

In fact, the process already started back in December, but the number of exchanges from which these services will no longer be available for sale will increase rapidly in the very near future. Starting in June 2021, exchanges will effectively begin to be ‘switched off’ in much larger numbers.

Order restrictions will be triggered in 13 exchanges from the end of June, with a further 155 to follow in October, and even more in the months after. You can find the most up to date information on dates here.

Different types

The stop sell you’re probably most familiar with is the WLR withdrawal part. As discussed, that’s the withdrawal of analogue telephony services like PSTN and ISDN.

As new WLR/copper services are removed from an exchange, they’ll no longer be available for sale.

But there’s another part to the stop sell too - the Full Fibre Priority Exchange programme. Essentially, this means that if full fibre is available at the customer premises, that will be the only product you’re able to purchase. In this scenario, if the customer is only able to receive ADSL or FTTC connectivity, it will remain available for sale (for now).

That’s all about accelerating the rollout of full fibre services in anticipation of the big switch off in 2025.

It’s worth remembering too that it’s not just new connections that will be unavailable. Taking over or restarting stopped lines will also no longer be possible, nor will bandwidth modification, adding lines to existing installations or other modifications.

We should add though that stop sell won’t suddenly lead to existing services no longer working. While they may no longer be available for sale, customers will be able to continue using their existing services until the withdrawal date. Of course, continuing to use an outdated product until it is physically no longer available probably isn’t the best idea. It would be more advisable for them to prepare for the switchover in advance.

What about you

You can look at this opportunity in one of two ways. But whether you’re thinking about the benefits of adding full fibre to your portfolio, or the dangers of not doing so, the end results are pretty much the same.

Being able to warm up your customers and prospects to the idea, to be able to educate and inform them on what’s happening and when (and why it’s a good thing), and to position yourself as a forward thinking, future-proof full fibre provider can only be beneficial.

Think of the customer loyalty you’ll generate, and the upsell opportunities that will create. When your competitors are only selling products with a limited lifespan, you’ll be positioned in a different, better way, as a provider for the long term.

And if that’s not enough to convince you, imagine the alternative. Selling dead-end copper-based products when the rest of the world is embracing full fibre, and the missed opportunities to upgrade your customers, and attract new customers looking for the best long-term connectivity available.

If you haven’t already added full fibre to your portfolio, now’s the time to do so.

Next time, we’ll be talking about the five key things you need to do prior to stop sell.

In the meantime, for more information on stop sell and the key dates you need to be aware of visit our dedicated page here.