The 20th century used enormous amounts of copper; telephone, electrical, plumbing, etc. Now much of the telephone wiring is abandoned; almost.
As The Guardian notes:
BT is on track for an estimated £2bn-plus windfall over the next decade from selling off old copper cabling, as it cashes in on soaring prices amid the AI market frenzy and switches the UK’s network to full-fibre broadband. Copper is one of the main beneficiaries of the “electrification of everything”, essential for the rapid growth of AI data centres, electronics and the fast-growing renewable energy industry. The metal hit its highest-ever closing price of $14,294 a metric tonne on Friday, close to the record intraday high of $14,500 reached earlier this year amid global shortage fears.
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