GoKawiilBT's copper phone lines could fetch over $2.7 billion as fiber rollout continues
As BT subsidiary Openreach replaces the UK's aging copper phone network with fiber broadband, the recovered copper is turning into a lucrative asset. Rising global copper demand, driven by AI data centers and electrification, has pushed the potential value of BT's recovered metal from roughly £1.5 billion to over £2 billion. Openreach has already recovered more than 22,000 metric tons of copper since 2023 and has a recycling deal with EMR that recently paid £99 million upfront.