British company BT has stopped selling new copper telephone lines on its national Openreach network after more than a century, marking a significant step in its move towards an all-fibre digital network.
In 2017, BT announced plans to retire copper from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) by the end of 2025.
“As part of this process, we are now taking the important decision to cease the sale of new analogue services in the UK,” Openreach said in a blog post on Tuesday.
“This means that from today, when customers sign a new contract – or when they change, upgrade or reclassify their service through their provider – they will be transferred to a new digital line rather than analog.
British company Gamma Communications said the impending phase-out of PSTN was boosting growth of its cloud computing-based PhoneLine+ product, which can replace the single line used by small businesses.
Andrew Belshaw, managing director of Gamma, said demand was increasing, but change was not a priority for busy business owners, such as plumbers.
“One of the things we need to do is make sure our customers put this change a little higher on their list, so they’re not caught off guard in a few years,” he said. in an interview, after the company announced a 13% increase in its pre-tax profit for the first half of the year.
“There’s no reason why you can’t start changing now.
This article is originally published on zonebourse.com
