Openreach, the network unit of BT Group, has reportedly introduced a long-planned nationwide ‘stop sell’ on new wholesale line rental (WLR) fixed voice and related fixed broadband products, ISPreview reports. With this development coming as part of the company’s plans to completely withdraw its PSTN-based services by the end of 2025, it was noted that one exception is fully unbundled (MPF) lines, such as those sold by a number of the nation’s alternative ISPs; fully unbundled ISPs will reportedly be able to continue selling older products to new subscribers.
Meanwhile, it was noted that subscribers in areas not yet covered by Openreach’s full fibre infrastructure will be able to take up a fixed broadband service via special versions of the wholesale operator’s ADSL (SOTAP), FTTC (SOGEA) and G.fast (SOGFast) products – these are essentially standalone copper-based broadband lines with no analogue phone service attached. Notably, however, users in a WLR/PSTN ‘stop sell’ area who order or upgrade to one of those new broadband-only (SOTAP, SOGEA, SOGFast) lines may not get a fixed voice service included by default. Instead, such users that wish to retain a fixed voice service will need to ensure that their ISP has launched an IP-based fixed voice solution.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Director of Managed Customer Migrations, was cited as saying of the development: ‘WLR is used by a number of our Communications Provider (CP) customers, and we’ve been working closely with them for years to help them prepare for the change … As part of that process, we’re now taking the significant step of ending the sale of WLR across the UK. That means from today, when CPs’ customers sign up to a new contract – or when they switch, upgrade or re-grade their service via their provider – they’ll be moved onto a new digital line rather than an analogue one.’