National telecoms provider could make $2.7 billion selling recycled copper in AI boom — BT to strip 200,000 tons from legacy network
- ID
- 20207
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 01 Sep 2026, 8:00 PM
- Fetched
- 01 Sep 2026, 8:41 PM
- Provider
- Tom's Hardware
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/national-telecoms-provider-to-make-usd2-7-billion-selling-old-copper-in-ai-boom-bt-to-strip-200-000-tons-from-legacy-network
- Source URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/feeds/all
Summary
- Score
- 3.5
- Created
- 01 Sep 2026, 8:43 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developerssaas_startup_founders
What happened
BT plans to strip 200,000 tons of copper from its legacy network as it transitions to fiber, potentially generating $2.7 billion from selling recycled copper amid rising demand driven by the AI boom. The AI industry's massive copper needs for data centers and power infrastructure are making recycled telecom copper unexpectedly valuable.
Why it matters
Copper scarcity from AI data center buildouts is a real cost pressure on infrastructure. Builders deploying physical AI infrastructure or working with telcos on edge deployments should factor in rising materials costs and expect accelerated copper-to-fiber decommissioning timelines globally, including in Southeast Asian markets where legacy copper networks still exist.
Discussion angle
As AI data center demand drives up copper prices, will Malaysian telcos like TM accelerate their own copper decommissioning under Jendela, and does that create opportunities for local builders in network migration tooling or edge infrastructure on newly fibered routes?