Openreach mulls wholesale line rental network closure
BT network operator Openreach has announced that it is considering the withdrawal of its Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) service by the year 2025, the system that underpins many of the country’s traditional copper phone lines (PSTN/POTS).
Openreach has said it will consult UK ISPs on the process, which would see customers using the WLR service moved off the copper lines but would not necessarily mean they are removed. The older infrastructure is used by new hybrid fibre - or part fibre - broadband services, like G.fast, and will be for the foreseeable future.
Industry experts predict that it will take at least a few decades before every phone line - whether used for broadband or voice services - will be truly fibre optic. Openreach’s full fibre service aims to reach 10 million premises by 2025, though the deal has not yet been signed off with regulators.
Openreach has also stated that they will look into migrating customers from copper-based FTTP lines as they roll out the new fibre service, though Ofcom still need to rubber stamp these plans too.
A spokesperson for the ISP said: “In May, we’ll consult with the industry around the process of withdrawing WLR and related products.
“We’ll be working with our Communication Provider customers over the coming months as we consider the move to IP voice services – where broadband rather than voice becomes the primary service.”
They added that, for some time, BT has said that they are aiming to move all customers from their traditional phone network (PSTN) to switch them to VOIP services instead.
Copper line services are also changing: new processes like the Single Order Generic Ethernet Access (SOGEA and SOGfast) will mean customers could order a copper line with standalone FTTC or G.fast broadband services without the need for a phone or voice component.
Openreach has published a short statement on the consultation, and has invited comments from the industry. The news suggests though that traditional phone line-based services could be phased out in the near future.
