Britain's communications regulator Ofcom said it will permit Openreach to adjust wholesale prices for copper broadband connections beginning April 1, 2029, marking a further step in the UK's transition from legacy copper to full-fiber networks.
The decision reduces the full-fiber coverage threshold required before price changes can take effect from 100% to 90% of premises in qualifying exchange areas—those where ultrafast broadband (300 megabits per second or faster) is available. Openreach currently operates full-fiber connections reaching approximately 80% of UK households.
The move follows a partial deregulation in 2021, when Ofcom allowed Openreach to stop offering copper-based broadband to new customers in certain exchange areas, provided full-fiber coverage had reached at least 75% of premises. Under the new framework, Ofcom's pricing adjustments apply only to premises where full-fiber is available in exchange areas meeting the revised threshold.
Openreach will be permitted to alter copper connection pricing to encourage customer migration to fiber services. The regulator described the operation of dual infrastructure—as both copper and full-fiber—costly and inefficient, and said the phased deregulation aims to free up resources for network improvements during the industry's transition.
Customers will retain protections: existing price caps on copper-based services remain in force where full-fiber is unavailable, and charge controls will apply to full-fiber connections once copper price caps are lifted.
Natalie Black, Ofcom's group director for infrastructure and connectivity, was scheduled to provide additional detail in a speech at the Connected Britain conference. Evidence before the regulator indicated customers can switch to full-fiber services at comparable or lower costs than copper-based connections, and broadband providers are expected to assist customers in finding alternative arrangements.
