UK telephone exchange · Openreach stop-sell tracker
Castlereagh(CTH) telephone exchange
Castlereagh(CTH) serves Down and carries the Openreach exchange code NICRH. Copper stop-sell restrictions have been in force here since 19 August 2025 (Tranche 17).
Stop-sell status
In force
since 19 August 2025
Exchange code
NICRH
Tranche 17
Analogue switch-off (national)
31 Jan 2027
PSTN retirement — every UK exchange
What this means if you’re on the Castlereagh(CTH) exchange
Openreach places an exchange on the FTTP priority list once full fibre reaches roughly 75% of the premises it serves. From the restriction date, any premises here that can order full fibre can no longer take out new copper services — analogue phone lines, FTTC broadband, working-line takeovers. Nothing is switched off on that date: existing lines keep working until your provider migrates you ahead of the national PSTN retirement on 31 January 2027.
When migration happens your number stays the same — local landlines here use the 01366 dialling code for Downham Market, which is unaffected by the switch-off. If a call from an unfamiliar local number is what brought you here, run it through the lookup to see the Ofcom range holder and live reputation reports.
Nearby exchanges
- AghaleeCraigavon · NIAL1 November 2022
- AhoghillBallymena · NIAH1 November 2022
- Annaghmore (ANM)Armagh · NIAE14 February 2026
- AnnalongNewry · NIAA8 August 2023
- AntrimAntrim · NIAT29 April 2022
- ArdglassDownpatrick · NIAR2 August 2022
- ArmaghArmagh · NIAM13 October 2021
- Aughafatten (AFN)Antrim · NIAFN6 November 2025
Related lookups
FAQs about the Castlereagh(CTH) exchange
Is the Castlereagh(CTH) telephone exchange closing?
Castlereagh(CTH) (code NICRH) is on Openreach's FTTP priority stop-sell list — copper sales restrictions have applied since 19 August 2025. The building isn't shutting yet, but analogue (PSTN) service ends nationally on 31 January 2027, and premises with full fibre available here can no longer order new copper products.
What does stop sell at Castlereagh(CTH) mean for my landline?
Existing services keep working — stop sell only blocks new supply of copper products (new analogue lines, copper broadband, transfers between providers on copper) at premises where full fibre is available. When your provider migrates you, your phone number stays the same and calls move to digital voice over broadband.
Which numbers come from the Castlereagh(CTH) exchange?
Castlereagh(CTH) serves the Downham Market area, where landlines use the 01366 dialling code. Bear in mind UK numbers are portable, so a 01366 number no longer proves a physical line on this exchange — use the lookup to check any specific number.
Source: Openreach FTTP Priority Exchange stop-sell ancillary document (© British Telecommunications plc), republished as facts with attribution. Dates reflect the most recent published document revision; always confirm migration plans with your own provider.