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UK telephone exchange · Openreach stop-sell tracker

Wilstead telephone exchange

Wilstead serves Bedford and carries the Openreach exchange code SMWLS. It has been notified for copper stop-sell, with the implementation date still to be confirmed.

Stop-sell status

Notified (date TBD)

Exchange code

SMWLS

TBD

Analogue switch-off (national)

31 Jan 2027

PSTN retirement — every UK exchange

What this means if you’re on the Wilstead 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 01234 dialling code for Bedford, 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.

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FAQs about the Wilstead exchange

Is the Wilstead telephone exchange closing?

Wilstead (code SMWLS) is on Openreach's FTTP priority stop-sell list with the restriction date still to be confirmed. 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 Wilstead 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 Wilstead exchange?

Wilstead serves the Bedford area, where landlines use the 01234 dialling code. Bear in mind UK numbers are portable, so a 01234 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.