BT has bagged £105 million ($140m) for the sale of its surplus copper cables.
As reported by The Guardian yesterday, the UK telco received the upfront payment, as it continues to replace its legacy copper network with full fiber.
Checking in on Openreach’s UK fiber buildout
Halfway to its aim of 25 million fiber connections, how is Openreach doing?
According to the news outlet, BT has struck a deal with recycling company EMR, in which it has agreed to sell copper granules created from surplus copper cables that are being replaced by its new full-fiber network. It has a contract with EMR until the end of 2028.
BT aims to roll out its fiber network to 25 million properties by the end of 2026, and has currently passed more than 15 million.
So far, BT, through its subsidiary, Openreach, has recovered 3,300 tonnes of copper in the year to 31 March 2024.
By the 2030s, Openreach said it expects to "recover up to 200,000 tonnes of copper – in line with customer migrations.”
Current market estimates value 200,000 tonnes of copper at £1.5 billion ($2bn).
BT told The Guardian that it sees the copper extraction program as a commercial revenue stream for the company, however, didn't provide any financial outlook on the copper value.
As Openreach continues to deploy its fiber network, this means the aging copper infrastructure has become increasingly redundant.
The value of copper means that telcos such as BT, have been targeted by vandals looking to steal the material to sell for cash.
It's led Openreach to step up its security to prevent copper from being stolen from its network, which can lead to network outages, such as in the New Forest, UK, earlier this year.
To combat such theft, Openreach has used tracking technology, SelectaDNA, to trace its copper, noting that the technology has seen copper theft drop by 30 percent during the last year.
SelectaDNA is a synthetic DNA and UV tracer that is sprayed directly onto cables and associated equipment. The marker works by leaving a unique DNA trace on people and vehicles that have contact with it. The tagging formula uses synthetically-manufactured DNA particles to create a unique ID code.
If an operator’s kit is stolen and police recover it, it can be linked back to the location it was stolen from. The method recently secured three convictions in Lincolnshire for the attempted theft of copper cables.
