Openreach stop sell explained: can you still get a landline in the UK?

Openreach stop sell, explained

Stop sell means Openreach has stopped selling an older product, not switched it off on the spot.

The key point is this: you cannot order a new traditional analogue phone line on Openreach's Wholesale Line Rental, or WLR, network anymore. The national stop sell started in September 2023 and from that point there has been no such thing as ordering a new analogue line anywhere in the UK.

Your existing service is different. If you already have a copper landline or broadband service, it can keep working for now. Stop sell affects new orders and many changes to older services.

Stop sell and the landline switch-off are different

These two are closely linked, but they are different.

Stop sell is the point where Openreach stops selling legacy copper products.

The PSTN or analogue landline switch-off is the wider retirement of the old phone network. Government guidance says the telecoms industry announced in 2017 that it intended to retire analogue networks such as the PSTN and ISDN, and that most customers are expected to have made the switch by the end of January 2027. Several sources also give 31 January 2027 as the national deadline for the old network.

So the practical difference is:

Issue	What it means
Stop sell	You usually cannot order a new legacy copper phone line, and many changes to old services are blocked
Switch-off	The old analogue phone network is retired and remaining services must move to digital alternatives

That is why people get caught out. A line may still be working today, but that does not mean you can still buy the same type of service if you move home, switch provider or ask for a change.

Can you still get a landline?

You can still have a landline-style home phone service, but you usually cannot get a new traditional analogue copper landline.

Government guidance is clear that nobody has to lose their landline service because of this change, because there will still be the option of a 'landline only' service if a customer does not want a general internet connection.

But that does not mean a return to the old copper phone line. The industry is moving landline services to digital technology using an internet connection, including VoIP and Digital Voice.

So if you are asking, "Can I still get a landline?", the answer is:

• A traditional new analogue copper line: generally no
• A home phone service delivered digitally: yes

What you can still order in a stop sell area

The intended replacement routes include:

• Digital voice over broadband
• SOGEA
• FTTP or full fibre
• Hosted voice
• SIP in some cases

For home users, the most common outcome is a broadband service with phone calls handled through your router or an adaptor, rather than through the old wall phone socket.

Government guidance says if you already have an internet connection, the change may be as simple as plugging your phone into your broadband router rather than the wall socket.

What you usually cannot newly order once stop sell applies

The clearest nationwide change is this:

• New WLR analogue phone lines cannot be ordered
• Transfers of existing lines to new providers on copper are blocked
• Adding broadband to existing analogue copper lines is blocked
• Like-for-like copper changes, such as moving house and asking for reconnection on copper, are blocked
• New ISDN2 and ISDN30 orders are blocked

One source also says that adding an extra analogue line at an existing site is treated as a new WLR order, so it is refused, and that moving an existing analogue line to a different address is treated as a new provide at the new address.

For broadband, the old options narrow too:

• ADSL depends on PSTN infrastructure, so when the underlying WLR line ends, the ADSL service ends too
• FTTC can continue as a broadband technology, but if you have a bundled PSTN landline, the voice part must move separately to digital voice
• Full fibre is independent of PSTN

If you already have a copper landline or broadband service

If you already have a copper line, stop sell does not mean it stops working immediately.

One source puts it simply: what you have, you keep for now, what you do not have, you cannot get. Another says existing services continue as normal after stop sell, while providers plan migration to digital voice.

You can also still expect faults on existing analogue lines to be repaired while the network is still running.

But older services are increasingly a frozen setup. You may find that:

• a switch to a new provider on the same old copper basis is not available
• a move home becomes a forced move to a newer service
• a speed upgrade or regrade on an older WLR-based service may be blocked

How landline calls work now: Digital Voice and VoIP explained

The replacement for the old analogue phone line is usually a digital voice service.

Government guidance says providers are upgrading landline services to digital technology using an internet connection, such as:

• Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP
• Digital Voice
• All-IP telephony

For many people, that means your home phone still works much like a landline, but it is carried over broadband instead of the old PSTN network.

In practice, this often means:

• your phone plugs into the back of the router, or
• you use an Analogue Terminal Adapter, or ATA, instead of plugging straight into the old wall socket

If you only want a phone service and do not want a normal home internet package, government guidance says there will still be a 'landline only' service option. The exact setup depends on the provider.

Can you keep your existing landline number?

This depends on the provider and the migration route.

The material does not set out a single industry-wide rule, but it does show that some digital providers say you can keep your current phone number when moving to a digital service.

If keeping your number matters, ask your provider before any migration or switch is placed. This matters even more if you are moving home or changing both broadband and phone service at the same time.

What if full fibre is available but you only want a phone line?

You may still be able to get a home phone service, but it is likely to be a digital one rather than an analogue copper line.

Government guidance says nobody will have to lose their landline service and there will still be a 'landline only' service option for customers who do not want a general internet connection.

What changes is the underlying technology. The phone service is moving away from PSTN and onto digital platforms.

Exceptions and limited exemptions

The material describes limited exemptions, but they are narrow.

These exemptions are aimed at keeping service in place for some existing customers, not reopening normal sales of new copper lines. Examples include:

• existing customers in non-FTTP areas, where full fibre is not available
• telecare and critical services that are still being migrated
• some provider-specific circumstances

The same source says these exemptions do not allow:

• new WLR orders
• adding broadband to analogue-only lines
• transferring lines between providers on copper

So exemptions are mostly about buying time for existing services, especially where vulnerable users or critical equipment are involved.

What about alarms, telecare, fax machines and payment terminals?

This is one of the most important parts of the change.

Government guidance says if you have devices connected to your phone line, such as:

• alarm systems
• telecare devices
• fax machines

you should check they will still work after migration to a digital phone line.

You may need to:

• upgrade the device
• get an adaptor
• check whether it needs its own battery and network back-up

Other material also mentions services such as ATMs, CCTV systems, burglar alarms, traffic lights and roadside telephones as examples of equipment that has relied on PSTN copper connections.

If you or someone in your home depends on telecare or a landline for safety, tell your provider. Government guidance says providers are responsible for making sure customers who depend on a landline are given a resilient solution so they can make emergency calls during a power outage.

Support for vulnerable customers

Government guidance says Ofcom expects telecoms providers to identify and support vulnerable or at-risk customers through the move to digital phone lines.

It also says that if you believe you or a relative is vulnerable, or depends on a landline, you should notify your communications provider so they can advise how the migration may affect you.

In December 2023, leading communications providers agreed to a Charter of commitments for protecting telecare users and other vulnerable customers. In January 2024, the Telecare Action Board was formed, bringing together organisations from government, telecoms, telecare, local authorities and regulators.

How to check if your address is affected

There are three practical ways to check:

• ask your current provider whether your exchange or service is under stop sell
• use an Openreach postcode checker
• if you need to know your local exchange, some providers offer an exchange lookup tool

Do this before you:

• move home
• renew a contract
• try to switch provider
• ask for another line or a service change

That is when stop sell tends to show up.

What to do next if you need broadband, a home phone, or both

If you need a new service now, the safest assumption is that a new analogue copper landline is not available.

What you should do depends on your situation.

If you want broadband only

Check whether your address can get:

• full fibre, or FTTP
• SOGEA
• another non-PSTN broadband service

If you want broadband and a home phone

Ask your provider what its digital voice setup is. In many cases, your phone will plug into the router or an adaptor.

If you only want a phone service

Ask specifically for a digital landline-only service. Government guidance says this option should still exist, whether or not you want a general internet connection.

If you rely on alarms, telecare or other connected devices

Speak to both:

• your phone or broadband provider, and
• the device manufacturer or service provider

Do that before any migration date is agreed.

If you already have an old copper line and it still works

You do not usually need to do anything until your provider contacts you. Government guidance says providers will contact customers ahead of migration, and you should be careful not to confuse these messages with ordinary marketing.

What has changed is your room to delay a decision. You may be able to keep an old service running for now, but the old option is no longer open for new orders and many changes.