Closing Copper Networks

In a precursor to the headlines we’ll be seeing in the U.S., Telefónica announced on May 27 that it shut off its copper telephone network in Spain. The company was able to decommission the first two of its 8,500 exchanges in 2014, and the pace has accelerated since then, with 4,300 exchanges shut in 2024. Telefónica claims to be the first telephone company in Europe to have completed the transition from copper to fiber. Unlike here, the European Union has strong rules that insist that every dropped copper customer has access to another source of broadband and voice—mostly fiber, but also wireless. In the U.S., telcos are supposed to find an alternative for customers, but often just wink at the requirement. The Federal Communications Commission recently changed rules to make it easier for legacy telephone companies to walk away from copper networks. Another rule change puts a two-year moratorium on telephone companies for having to disclose and seek public comment about closing copper networks. Of course, to speed things along even faster, there is a good chance that all rules pertaining to copper networks will be scrapped during the Delete, Delete, Delete process.