Copper Line Price Rises: What They Mean for Your Business Phone Lines

Openreach raised the wholesale price of its legacy copper phone lines three times in 2026, by 20% in April, 40% in July and 40% in October, and it describes the combined effect as effectively doubling 2025 rental rates. Whether that reaches your bill depends on your provider and contract. Either way, you're paying more for a line that stops working on 31 January 2027.

T2K Voice & Data hears the same question from businesses in Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth: is it worth paying the higher price and waiting? Usually it isn't. Here's what changed, what to check, and what to do this month.

What has Openreach actually changed?

Openreach published the details in its own switch-off update. The price steps apply to legacy wholesale line rental (WLR), the product behind most analogue business lines:

• 1 April 2026: an increase of 20%.
• 1 July 2026: a further 40%.
• 1 October 2026: a final 40%.

Openreach says it's passing those costs on to providers who keep selling legacy products. At the start of 2026 it counted about 2.8 million lines still to migrate, with more than half a million serving business premises. The stop-sell on new lines is already in force, and the final switch-off date is 31 January 2027.

Will your bill go up by that much?

Not necessarily by the same amount. These are wholesale prices. What you pay depends on your provider's margin, your contract and whether line rental is bundled with calls or broadband. The only reliable answer is on your latest invoice, so pull it out and check these items:

Is it worth waiting until January?

No. Every month on copper costs more than the last, and the work you can't do in a hurry is the slow part. Number porting, engineer visits and supplier upgrades all take time, and leaving it late means relying on every other business not doing the same. Our guide to how long porting takes shows why a December start is risky. The ones that catch people out are the alarms, lift lines and card machines on lines nobody thinks about.

What can you move to?

You've three realistic routes. Keep your phone system and connect it with SIP trunks if it supports them. Move to a hosted system such as Gamma Horizon, priced from £12.95 per user per month on the Essential package. Or replace the system with one built around your team, which is where 3CX or Mitel can fit larger sites.

All of them carry voice over your internet connection, so check it first. Voice needs about 100 Kbps per call each way, plus headroom for everything else you do online. If a site struggles, a better connection costs far less than keeping a copper line.

What should you do this week?

1. Find your latest phone bill and list every line, with its monthly cost.
2. Run the PSTN switch-off checker to see how your lines are affected.
3. Ask your supplier for any contract end dates and early termination terms.
4. List devices that dial out, from alarms to card machines.
5. Book a call to agree the route and start the number port.

Our guide to what happens after the deadline explains the consequences of missing it.

Frequently asked questions

Has the PSTN switch-off date changed?

Openreach says the retirement date is 31 January 2027, and has said that the date is locked. Check Openreach for updates before you plan around any other date.

Will my phone bill double?

Not automatically. Openreach describes the wholesale increases as effectively doubling 2025 rental rates, but your own bill depends on your provider and your contract.

Can I keep my phone numbers?

In most cases, yes. Numbers are ported to a digital service, and it pays to start early.

Do I still need a phone line for broadband?

Only if your broadband runs over copper. Ask about fibre or a leased line for the site.