From Copper To Fibre: Unlocking Value Through Ageing Telecom Assets

For decades, copper prices have reflected global economic health, but today the world faces a structural copper shortage. Copper is critical for renewable energy systems, EV charging networks, electrification, and infrastructure. However, copper mining is slow, expensive, and environmentally complex, requiring large ore volumes and long approval timelines. By 2030, global supply may meet only about 80% of demand.

At the same time, telecom operators worldwide are replacing legacy copper networks with fibre under major national broadband programs such as India (National Broadband Mission 2.0), the United States (BEAD Program), Canada (Universal Broadband Fund), Australia (NBN Upgrades), and Europe. Major operators, including AT&T, BT Group, and Orange, are retiring copper infrastructure.

From Copper To Fibre: Unlocking Value Through Ageing Telecom Assets (ETV Bharat)

This shift has revealed an unexpected solution: millions of tons of recoverable copper embedded in obsolete telecom networks. In India, companies like BSNL and MTNL hold significant recyclable copper assets. In addition to copper, legacy telecom systems contain valuable metals such as gold, silver, cobalt, and titanium.

Recycling these materials not only supports the global copper supply chain but also helps fund fibre expansion. For India, this transition presents a strategic opportunity to strengthen the circular economy while accelerating digital infrastructure growth.

Advantages

Recycling copper from retired telecom networks offers major environmental and financial benefits. It reduces environmental impact by up to 15% compared to traditional mining, provides faster supply availability, lowers procurement costs, and enables immediate monetisation of decommissioned assets.

For example, BT Group generated approximately £105 million from recycled copper sales, despite tapping only a small portion of its recoverable inventory. Globally, analysts estimate around 8,00,000 tons of copper could be reclaimed over the next decade as fibre replaces legacy networks.

This recycling-driven revenue is crucial as fibre deployment remains capital-intensive and many regions still face coverage gaps. Recovered copper helps telecom operators offset fibre rollout costs, reduce maintenance expenses from ageing copper networks, and streamline operations by fully retiring legacy infrastructure.

Key Takeaway

India is well positioned to benefit from telecom copper recycling due to its expanding metal recovery ecosystem. Companies like Hindalco Industries are strengthening advanced recycling capacity, enabling efficient domestic processing of telecom scrap.

India's fixed-line network was historically built on copper local loops, with roughly 45 million km of lines deployed mainly between 1985 and 2010. The majority of this infrastructure is owned by BSNL and MTNL, much of which is now 20–35 years old and significantly degraded. Reports from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) indicate that copper loops are concentrated within public sector operators, with large sections damaged or economically unviable due to ageing and low maintenance.

From Copper To Fibre: Unlocking Value Through Ageing Telecom Assets (ETV Bharat)

Because India has one of the world's largest legacy copper access networks, the reclaimable copper potential is estimated at hundreds of thousands of tons. Beyond scrap resale, telecom operators can unlock additional value through duct reuse for fibre rollout, maintenance cost elimination, and operational simplification. Industry studies suggest savings of up to $1 million per approximately 3,50,000 feet of reclaimed copper in certain projects.

Overall, copper reclamation presents a strategic, multi-revenue opportunity that supports both fibre expansion and circular economy growth in India.

Unlocking Value

As global copper demand rises and mining output struggles to keep pace, telecom operators are uniquely positioned to unlock value by reclaiming copper embedded in legacy networks. Successful copper reclamation programs require detailed asset inventories, accurate cable mapping (underground and aerial), phased decommissioning plans, strong recycling partnerships, and AI-driven documentation and retrieval planning.

At the same time, Indian engineers are playing a critical role in supporting global telecom fibre transitions. Managing network surveys, route feasibility studies, logical and physical design (FTTx, HFC), and producing detailed GIS/CAD engineering drawings. Responsibilities also include bills of materials, cost estimation, splice planning, capacity forecasting, EPC coordination, permitting, traffic control planning, standards compliance, and full project documentation.

Global telecom operators depend on Indian engineering teams for technical expertise, cost efficiency, scalability, and rapid turnaround — making them key enablers of national fibre rollout and network modernisation programs.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of ETV Bharat)

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