Salisbury, just the start

Salisbury becomes the first city to offer a stop sell in recent trial

Earlier this year the UK took the first step towards its digital transformation with Salisbury becoming the first city to go fully fibre. And with a stop sell on old copper lines from next month, it offers the first glimpse of what a full-fibre future will look like.

But what does full-fibre mean, and how will it benefit your organisation?
Business connectivity will become seamless through faster, more reliable broadband. Existing copper lines will start to be phased out, and from 2023 organisations will no longer be able to add new lines, as a national stop sell will come into force. Then in 2025, they’ll be completely withdrawn.

By moving to fully fibre, businesses will be able to communicate more efficiently, work on multiple devices, collaborate, stream and download all day without any interruptions. It will open up more business opportunities, with organisations being able to reach more customers across the UK and beyond. Plus, it will further aid flexible working, assisting employees with greater connectivity at home.

So, what has happened in Salisbury?
Back in 2019, the medieval cathedral city of Salisbury was chosen to take part in the first trial in moving towards a digital transformation. In March this year, they became the first UK city to be fully fibre, providing more than 20,000 homes and businesses access to what Openreach describe as their fastest, most reliable broadband with speeds of up to 1Gb/s.

What does the stop sell mean?
From December 2020, local and national telecom providers will no longer be able to sell copper services to any business or home in the Salisbury area, which has access to FTTP (fibre to the premises). Openreach will be running similar, more localised stop sells throughout the next two years, each assisting in the move towards the national stop sell due in 2023. By December 2025 the UK will have access to full-fibre with copper networks being wholly withdrawn.

Openreach is pushing forward with their plans to roll out FTTP and have identified a further 118 exchanges that are expected to reach 75% fibre availability by June 2021.

What do you need to do?
You may find yourself asking what does this mean for my business? Here at Cambridge Telecom, our team of experts are on hand to guide you through the process. If you’re finding your telecoms contract is coming up for renewal, now is a good time to look at moving across to single order broadband or hosted voice solution, making your business future-ready, ahead of the national stop sell. If you’re in contract for a few more years, there is no rush to move ahead of your contract renewal date, but it might be wise to line up a replacement, to ensure a smoother transition and ensure your communications are future-proofed.

Speak to us today at Cambridge Telecom, and we’ll tell you what’s available in your area and find the right solution for your business needs and budgets. Call our sales team on 01223 661636 or email enquiries@cambridgetelecom.com