https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2023/09/openreach-stops-selling-new-uk-analogue-copper-phone-lines.html
Openreach (BT) has this morning confirmed that they've formally introduced their long-planned UK wide “stop sell” on sales of new Wholesale Line Rental (WL
Copper will still be used, its just the traditional analogue phone signal delivered over the copper that is stopping. New (and changed/upgraded) users will instead receive a digital phone service, effectively over broadband (which can still be delivered over copper lines).
I think in areas with fibre coverage they will now only install fibre lines to homes, copper only of areas that haven't been upgrades.
Regardless of the type of cable, I think there is going to be a lot of turmoil when PSTN is fully withdrawn in 2025. It's one of the biggest tech transitions in the UK since the switchover from analogue to digital TV, but there doesn't seem to have been anywhere near the public awareness effort. There's still plenty of landline phone users, especially among older people and in rural areas.
I had a lot of trouble myself when I switched to a fibre provider that didn't provide landline phone service, and had to explain to various elderly relatives that they would now have to call our mobile numbers. They would only call our landline from their landline.
Yeah there's no way they're going to hit that 2025 deadline. BT started replacing people's landlines last year but had to halt the project as it was too confusing for the elderly, etc and now they have to do a rethink about how to move everyone over
The whole copper PSTN network is planned to be scrapped in 2025, including ADSL
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/business/pstn-and-isdn-switch-off
https://www.globe2.net/business-telecoms/the-openreach-pstn-withdrawal/