This comes after the telecommunications giant successfully carried out a landline changeover in Oxfordshire.
It is now looking to continue this progress at pace in 12 more areas across the country.
This is part of efforts to move the UK away from copper cables towards fibre and Digital Voice Calling technology.
Highlighting the benefit of the nationwide switchover, Openreach said: “They need far less physical space than traditional copper-based analogue systems, which require large exchanges to house bulky switches and miles of copper wiring.”
BT‘s Openreach service has issued a “stop sell” order, which gives broadband providers a deadline to stop selling older products.
BT plans to close thousands of exchanges amid a huge UK modernisation drive
As part of this widespread modernisation drive, exchanges are being decommissioned, with the Deddington Exchange in Oxfordshire becoming the first in the UK to meet this fate.
Up to 4600 exchanges are to be decommissioned, with plans to keep just 1000 of these.
This project will take place over four phases, with the entire project expected to be completed by the early 2030s.
Discussing the success of the closure of the Deddington Exchange, 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.”
He added: “Moving to this new digital world will ultimately benefit everybody”.
Here are the 12 areas to be affected by BT’s next phase of landline shutdowns
These are the 12 areas to be affected by BT’s next phase of landline shutdowns.
- Staines
- Thames Ditton
- Baynard
- Wraysbury
- Nazeing
- Langford
- Allestree Park
- Beacon
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- Childwall
- Lundin Links
- Carrickfergus
- Glengormley
These shutdowns will be happening in the coming weeks and months.
