The progressive deployment of the fiber optic access network led Telefónica to start the closure of its old copper plants in 2016. The first two to shut down were those located in Torrelodones and Sant Cugat, and of the 20 plants closed in 2017, a total of 50 were increased the following year.
In 2018, the company committed to closing one a day and, during this year, has accelerated the process to the point that, in the first half of 2021, it reached the milestone of 1,000 shut down copper plants. Now, the CNMC has just updated the map with the distribution of the copper plants that have already closed and, as we will see below, they are distributed throughout the Spanish territory.
Seven copper plants with unbundled accesses have closed in 2021
The fiber optic network (FTTH) needs fewer exchanges to serve it, so that many of them are no longer necessary. Telefónica began the closure of copper plants in 2016 and, when this year ends, more than 1,000 copper plants of the company will have been shut down (out of a total of almost 3,000 announced plants). As we can see, only in 2021, and in the absence of the 23 that will close in November and December, Telefónica has closed more than 500 exchanges.
The CNMC has just updated the map of the copper plants that have already closed. Those marked with a star are the largest, copper plants with unbundled accesses where the operators have co-located their broadband equipment. In all the others, which are indicated on the map with blue dots, there were only indirect access services or no wholesale services.
Let us remember that, in order to facilitate the definitive migration from copper to fiber services, the latest review of the broadband markets approved by the CNMC contemplates a reduction from 5 to 2 years in the regulated period for the closure of copper plants with unbundled accesses. So far, they have closed seven (all in 2021) out of a total of 835.
The closure of a plant entails the end of the obligation of access in said plant to the Telefónica’s copper peer network, so that neither this nor other operators can make use of them. Users who have contracted a copper product (with any operator) in an area covered by one of the plants affected by the closure, have to switch to an offer with fiber, but the installation is totally free and they can keep their phone number current.