Draft Report on a consistent approach to migration and copper switch-off

The requirements concerning the capabilities of electronic communications networks are constantly increasing and the response towards that demand is to bring optical fibre closer and closer to the end-user. Therefore, the importance of the copper-based access network decreases and NRAs are increasingly confronted with the situation wherein the SMP operator (SMPO) wants to decommission its legacy copper-based access network and to close related network elements e.g. main distribution frames (MDFs). The objectives of this report are: (i) to provide an overview of the current status of the SMPOs’ copper switch-off and the SMPOs’ plans to switch off their copper network in the future; (ii) to analyse in detail the rules set by the NRAs for the migration process and copper switch-off; and (iii) to examine also further aspects of the migration process and copper switch-off (e.g. the SMPO’s framework for migration and copper switch-off). Finally, the report aims to identify a consistent approach to migration and copper switch-off.