WLR Withdrawal stop sell rules

[jonnyfartpants]

Essentially, we cannot get FTTC or FTTP, even though we live in a town of 10K population. I have been using the wholesale open reach website and previously it stated that there was a waiting list as the cabinet was full. But now it states that "a stop sell is in place", in the exact words:

ADSL, ADSL2+ and SOADSL availability: If shown at FTTP or SOGEA premises, ADSL, ADSL2+ and SOADSL are not available to order due to WLR Withdrawal stop sell rules. CPs should order FTTP or SOGEA. Copper products are only available by exception.

When I read about the stop sell rules here

It suggests that the whole of UK has stop sell applied to it, so if you have FTTC already you are fine but if you haven't you are stuck with nothing until Dec 2025 when all exchanges are upgraded to digital 

Is this true? what can we do to get any broadband that's faster than Copper?

Thanks for any help as we gone from checking the wholesale website every day with the hope of getting a port to no hope at all now

[jac_95]

Hi @jonnyfartpants 

There's different stop sells in place.

The one where you refer to digital is the WLR/PSTN stop sell which is the stop sell of traditional analogue phone services. The 2025 date is the WLR PSTN (analogue phone service) closure date. The nation wide stop sell for this came in on 5th September 2023. Providers such as BT Consumer and EE for example will only be order what is known as Single Order products where there's no longer a PSTN/WLR traditional analogue phone service included

Copper based broadband such as ADSL or hybrid fibre such as FTTC will still be able present going past 2025 until a Openreach full fibre broadband service becomes available in your area. Openreach have another project that's for full fibre rollout to 25 million homes and businesses by December 2026: https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/where-when-building-ultrafast-full-fibre-broadband

Once Openreach full fibre becomes available to you and your exchange area has 75%+ full fibre available then the copper stop sell applies: https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/retiring-the-copper-network

[jonnyfartpants]

OK I understand, but the unavailability of any FTTC products from now until well whenever because of the Stop Sell rules seems a little weird. Bearing in mind that they are building a new estate down the road. None of these new houses will be able to get any form of FTTC or FTTP
??

I only want FTTC
Cheers

[jac_95]

The unavailability of FTTC will be unrelated to the WLR stop sell. The note you highlighted in your first post is shown for everyone on the BT Wholesale Checker.

All it is saying is that if WBC FTTP or FTTC is available then providers should choose that than a ADSL based copper alternative.

As to your issue ordering a FTTC service this does sound like it's down to your cabinet being full and no spare ports available - the table has gotten quite long but there'll be a column for WBC SOGEA

[jonnyfartpants]

Why was this moved to bills and packages? Its a technical question about broadband fibre FTTC or FTTP availability and should have remained at BT fibre really.

[jonnyfartpants]

OK but what I am saying is that it stated until 05/09/2023 that there was a waiting list but after the Stop Sell it now states that its unavailable. We actually were tipped off that someone was moving from our block and checked when they had their line cut off and it stated that FTTC was available so we singed up with Shell Energy in the morning but they didn't order until 23:00 and lost the port because they was too slow to actually order.

So the language has changed from Available and Waiting list to Unavailable since the 5th of September??

[jonnyfartpants]

[jac_95 · Accepted solution]

@jonnyfartpants 

It's is showing as SOGEA (which is what you are now needing to look at) is showing available for you.

Don't look at the bit I crossed out - you need to look at the green bit I highlighted.

Only SO products are available since 5th September 2023 hence why the WBC FTTC available column is showing unavailable - you need to now look at the WBC SOGEA column instead.

[jonnyfartpants]

How do I get Sogea? I dont need aa telephone line anyway
Thanks for your help

[licquorice]

Just order it