Openreach's newest stop-sell list: 112 more exchanges

Who this is for: Anyone with a landline or copper broadband in the 112 areas named, landlords and small businesses there, and anyone helping an older relative through the switch to digital phone lines. For what stop sell does day to day, see our July 2026 stop-sell guide.

Which 112 exchanges are on Openreach's October 2026 list?

Direct answer: 112 exchanges serving 619,724 premises: 78 in England, 17 in Wales and 17 in Scotland, by our count. None are in Northern Ireland. The West Midlands has the most, with 20.

The list mixes big towns and small villages. Eastbourne, Hastings, Exmouth, Witney and Kirkcaldy sit alongside two London exchanges, Walthamstow and Rushey Green in Lewisham, and rural places such as Dinas Mawddwy, Glenlyon and Kilkhampton. East Sussex and Worcestershire have the most, with seven each on our reading.

When does stop sell start in these 112 areas?

Direct answer: Not before October 2027. Openreach's briefing to providers gives "minimum 12 months' notification", and Ofcom's rules require 12 months' notice before stop sell can start.

Until then, nothing changes at these exchanges because of stop sell. The bigger date comes first: the old analogue phone network closes on 31 January 2027, and Openreach says the date "remains unchanged". Our PSTN switch-off action plan and landline switch-off checker cover what to do.

What happens on 6 November 2026?

Direct answer: Stop sell starts in 91 more exchanges, known as Tranche 22. Openreach's briefing to providers, GEN072/26, gives the date as 6 November 2026.

Openreach's press release counts 1,663 exchanges "By November (November 5th)", while its briefing to providers gives 6 November 2026 for Tranche 22. The figures line up: 1,572 exchanges by 20 August plus 91 makes 1,663. We use 6 November, because that's the start date Openreach gives its providers. The same briefing also covers the "realignment of 21 exchanges from Tranches 22, 23, 24 and TBD". BT Wholesale's November 2025 list showed 94 exchanges in Tranche 22; Openreach's October briefing gives 91.

How many exchanges will be under stop sell by November?

Direct answer: By early November 2026, 1,663 exchanges and around 16.4 million premises will be under stop sell, Openreach says. It has now named 2,325 exchanges in total, including the Salisbury trial.

Openreach says its Full Fibre network now reaches more than 23.5 million premises. The 2,325 named so far includes exchanges still waiting for their stop-sell date, such as the 112 named in July and the 112 named on 8 October.

How has stop sell grown since 2020?

Direct answer: From one pilot exchange in Salisbury in December 2020 to hundreds of exchanges a year. Once Tranche 22 starts on 6 November, 2026 will be the biggest year yet, on BT Wholesale's figures.

BT Wholesale, part of BT Group, publishes a list of every Openreach tranche and its stop-sell date. Its November 2025 edition shows 234 exchanges in 2022, 170 in 2023, 251 in 2024 and 335 in 2025. It scheduled four tranches for 2026: 170 exchanges in February, 164 in June, 137 in August and 94 in November, which Openreach's October briefing now gives as 91.

What does Ofcom's 75% rule actually say?

Direct answer: Once 75% of an exchange area has ultrafast coverage, and after 12 months' notice, Openreach can stop new copper orders at homes where its full fibre is available. Homes without full fibre see no change.

Openreach puts it as: "Stop Sell is triggered when 75% of premises served by an exchange can access Full Fibre broadband." Ofcom's statement sets its trigger as "75% of exchange has ultrafast coverage", and says there's "No change to copper-based services regulation at premises where Openreach FTTP is not available". BT Wholesale adds that where full fibre isn't available, "SoGEA or SOADSL (if applicable) will be made available". Ofcom's rules also set a later, second stage, which can lift the price control on some copper products where full fibre is available. Our April 2029 guide explains.

What should I do if my exchange is on the list?

Direct answer: Nothing urgent for stop sell itself. Check whether full fibre is available at your address, and make sure your phone line is digital before 31 January 2027.

Openreach says anyone unsure whether the phone switch-off affects them should contact "the company they pay their bill to". If someone at home uses a care alarm, providers who signed the government's PSTN charter have committed not to move telecare users until there's a "compatible and functioning telecare solution in place". Our care alarm guide goes through the questions to ask.

Keep going: more on copper, fibre and the switch-off

Frequently asked questions

Which exchanges are on Openreach's October 2026 stop-sell list?

112 exchanges, named on 8 October 2026 and serving 619,724 premises. By our count, 78 are in England, 17 in Wales and 17 in Scotland. The full list is in this article, grouped by nation and region.

When will stop sell start in the October 2026 exchanges?

Not before October 2027. Openreach's briefing to providers gives "minimum 12 months' notification", and Ofcom's rules require 12 months' notice.

What happens on 6 November 2026?

Stop sell starts in 91 Tranche 22 exchanges, according to Openreach's briefing to providers (GEN072/26). Openreach's public summary doesn't name them, so ask your provider if you're unsure about yours.

Why does Openreach's press release mention 5 November?

It gives a running total "By November (November 5th)": 1,663 exchanges and around 16.4 million premises. That total matches 1,572 exchanges by 20 August plus the 91 in Tranche 22. The start date in Openreach's own briefing is 6 November 2026.

How many exchanges will be under stop sell by November 2026?

Openreach says 1,663 exchanges, around 16.4 million premises, by early November 2026. That's up from 1,572 exchanges by 20 August and 1,432 by 5 June 2026.

How many exchanges has Openreach named for stop sell in total?

2,325, including the Salisbury trial site, according to Openreach's briefing GEN071/26 of 8 October 2026.

Are any Northern Ireland exchanges on the October 2026 list?

No. All 112 locations Openreach listed are in England, Wales or Scotland.

Why is my village listed next to a different town?

Openreach gives each exchange a name and a location, and the two can differ. For example, Worplesdon is listed with Guildford and Isleham with Soham. Search the list for both your village and your nearest town.

What does Ofcom's 75% rule actually say?

Once 75% of an exchange area has "ultrafast coverage", and after 12 months' notice, Openreach can stop new copper orders at premises where its full fibre is available. Ofcom says there's "No change" to copper regulation at premises where Openreach full fibre isn't available.

What does the realignment of 21 exchanges mean?

Openreach's briefing GEN072/26 covers the "realignment of 21 exchanges from Tranches 22, 23, 24 and TBD". Its public summary doesn't say which exchanges or what changed, so ask your provider if you think yours is one of them.

When did copper stop sell begin?

Salisbury was the first pilot, on 1 December 2020, followed by Mildenhall on 4 May 2021. The first 13 exchanges of Tranche 1 followed on 29 June 2021.

Where can I see Openreach's list for myself?

In Openreach's press release of 8 October 2026, "Openreach accelerates copper retirement across 600,000 more UK premises". Providers can read the full briefing, GEN071/26, on Openreach's portal.

References

• BT Wholesale. (2025, November). Product stop sells and FTTP exchange upgrades. BT Group. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://www.btwholesale.com/assets/documents/products-and-services/hosted-communications/all-ip/btw-product-stop-sells.pdf
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. (2023, December 18; updated 2026, January 22). Public Switched Telephone Network charter. GOV.UK. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-switched-telephone-network-charter/public-switched-telephone-network-charter
• Ofcom. (2026, March 17). Promoting competition and investment in fibre networks: Telecoms Access Review 2026-31, Volume 1: Overview, summary and structure [Statement]. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/statement-promoting-competition-and-investment-in-fibre-networks-telecoms-access-review-2026-31/main-documents/volume-1-overview-summary-and-structure.pdf
• Openreach. (n.d.). Fibre broadband availability checker. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://www.openreach.com/fibre-checker
• Openreach. (2026a, May 15). Openreach stops copper for another 1.69 million premises in bid to push customers to new digital lines [Press release]. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://www.openreach.com/news/openreach-stops-copper-for-another-169-million-premises-in-bid-to-push-customers-to-new-digital-lines/
• Openreach. (2026b, July 27). Openreach puts a stop to copper for another half million premises in bid to push customers to new digital lines [Press release]. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://www.openreach.com/news/openreach-puts-a-stop-to-copper-for-another-half-million-premises-in-bid-to-push-customers-to-new-digital-lines/
• Openreach. (2026c, September 24). Openreach to protect broadband connections as PSTN closure approaches [Press release]. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://www.openreach.com/news/openreach-to-protect-broadband--connections-as-pstn-closure---approaches/
• Openreach. (2026d, September 25). PSTN closure and post-January 2027 policies (Briefing GEN068/26). Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://www.openreach.co.uk/cpportal/updates/briefings/general-briefings/gen06826
• Openreach. (2026e, October 8). Notification of product stop sells, Tranche 26 in 112 FTTP exchanges (Briefing GEN071/26). Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://www.openreach.co.uk/cpportal/updates/briefings/general-briefings/gen07126
• Openreach. (2026f, October 8). Notification of Tranche 22, 91 FTTP priority exchanges, stop sell implementation 06 November 2026. Realignment of 21 notified exchanges (Briefing GEN072/26). Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://www.openreach.co.uk/cpportal/updates/briefings/general-briefings/gen07226
• Openreach. (2026g, October 8). Openreach accelerates copper retirement across 600,000 more UK premises [Press release]. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://www.openreach.com/news/openreach-accelerates-copper-retirement-across-600000-more-uk-premises/

Written by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith, Founder of BroadbandSwitch.uk (LinkedIn). Reviewed by Adrian James, Broadband Editor. Published 16 October 2026. We read Openreach's press releases and public briefing summaries, BT Wholesale's stop-sell list, Ofcom's statement and the government's PSTN charter on 16 October 2026. The nation and region counts are our own analysis of Openreach's list. This is general information, not professional advice. Corrections are logged publicly.