More data is now transmitted globally every 10 minutes than ever existed until 2003, and the volume doubles every two years. Meanwhile, the UK’s copper communications network has been around since 1876. Few would deny that the time is ripe for a comprehensive upgrade, but what does the demise of ADSL mean for housing providers?
January 2025 marks two years until the UK’s copper-based ADSL network is switched off for good and the nation’s landlines and internet connections all run on fibre-optic broadband. However, for some properties, the transition may not be straightforward and time is running out to prepare. It’s essential to review the connectivity of your housing stock now to avoid outages in 2027.
The national stop-sell date for the public switched telephone network (PSTN) passed in September 2023. Since then, Openreach (the BT-owned company which manages the country’s main fixed-line network infrastructure) has no longer been accepting new orders for broadband or landline services using the old copper network. Until the end of January 2027, you can still use existing PSTN services but you can’t modify them. After that, apart from a few pre-arranged exceptions, they will no longer work at all.
Who’s affected?
Developments that are over 10 years old are much more likely to have a legacy copper-based connection than new-builds. In those cases, any building services that rely on the internet or copper telephone lines will fail. That could include resident internet access, media and entertainment services, BMS technology, utilities monitoring and metering, security and access control systems or help buttons for lifts.
It’s not hard to see why any downtime to these services would be very undesirable. As well as reducing residents’ satisfaction and increasing complaints, it could cause billing inaccuracies and/or financial losses, potentially leading to penalties from Ofgem. Or, at worst, it could be dangerous.
Properties that are already served by full-fibre broadband (as indicated on their contracts and bills) won’t be affected by the big ADSL shut-down. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will have the consistent and reliable connections they need for essential services across their site, particularly if they’re reliant on wifi.
Seamless and secure
The only way to ensure robust, uninterrupted, real-time data communications is to install a dedicated, hard-wired fixed internet connection (FIC) which will remain unaffected by the changes in signal strength that affect wireless solutions. This is essential for systems such as heat networks that require continuous data monitoring for performance and billing purposes.
For maximum security, connectivity and stability, the FIC should also have a static IP address that won’t change each time a device connects to the network. And the whole thing should be backed up with a failover 4G multi-net roaming SIM for complete 24/7/365 resilience.
The most robust, reliable and cost-effective FIC connection is full-fibre to the premises (FTTP), where a fibre-based router connects to the building’s optical network termination (ONT) device. FTTP is much faster than copper as well as being less prone to interference.
There are other approaches too, including using existing on-site internet solutions, such as Hyperoptic or a local area network (LAN). This involves leveraging free ports at the local exchange provided by an ISP and bridging them to a router.
ADSL is now only an option when no other solutions are viable.
Set-up and management
If your property doesn’t already have an FTTP connection, now is the right time to be getting one installed. 70 per cent of UK premises now have access to full-fibre broadband, rising to an expected 96 per cent by the end of 2026 (visit openreach.com/fibre-broadband to check your properties’ status).
If FTTP is already available, you can request a connection from your ISP; it should take around 10-14 days to be fulfilled, including installation of an ONT if one isn’t already present.
However, in older properties it’s possible there will be wiring upgrades needed within the site. This can be difficult and expensive because it’s likely to involve removing and replacing fire-stopping materials. However, if ADSL is currently being used, there is no option but to do it before 2027.
Start looking into it now. It’s far better to find out what’s needed and plan accordingly than wait until the last minute to carry out complex works on site or wait until disaster strikes. The more work that’s likely to be involved, the more important it is not to wait until you lose communications completely before you start! It’s also worth noting that situating equipment such as data-collection devices as close as possible to the ONT (i.e. possibly in a plant room) will minimise any rewiring requirements.
In the case of newer properties, it’s likely that the developer already organised for an FTTP link to be set up during the construction phase. If so, it’s important to transfer ownership of the FTTP account away from the developer so that it can continue to be managed appropriately.
Outsource the headache
If you have a metering and billing provider, it makes sense for them to take over managing your FIC account so that they can ensure it’s paid correctly, with the costs recovered via an adjustment to the tariff charged to residents. They will automatically react to any tariff changes without you needing to notify them, and there is no risk of over- or undercharging occurring. You’re also likely to get things fixed much faster in the event of a fault, rather than having to wait for your ISP to send out engineers.
Furthermore, if you’re commissioning a new FTTP connection, your metering and billing provider may be able to do this for you at a lower cost via an ISP broker, meaning the total outlay is the same as commissioning and managing the service yourself.
Like most large tasks involving housing, the process of fitting compliant FICs is far smoother, quicker and more efficient when done in a considered way. It therefore pays to review the connectivity of your housing stock sooner rather than later to see what upgrades need to happen in the next two years.
Adam Newman is the head of technical at Insite Energy.
