BT Business Broadband installation

How BT decides what kind of installation you need

When an order is placed, BT checks what is already live at the address and works out the simplest way to provide the service. That check decides whether you need an engineer at all, and if so, what kind of work they will do. It depends mainly on three things:

• The access type. Full Fibre (FTTP), Standard Fibre (SOGEA) or copper. Full Fibre needs an Optical Network Termination box (ONT) on your wall; Standard Fibre and copper reuse a copper line into the building.
• What is already there. An ONT left by a previous occupant, a working copper line, or nothing at all on a new-build site.
• Work outside your premises. If the fibre cable is not close by, Openreach may need to lay or hang new cable before anyone can work inside.

BT tells you at order whether an engineer is needed, and the order journey shows the available dates and time slots. When we prepare your quote, we can tell you what the installation is likely to involve, so the date does not come as a surprise. See checking BT Business Broadband availability for how the address check works.

How long installation takes

BT's current guidance is that it usually takes around 14 working days to activate business broadband. Full Fibre has its own stages, which BT describes like this:

For a 2 stage Full Fibre install, BT says Openreach aims to send an engineer to assess the work within 5 working days of the order and to complete its survey within 10 working days. If the work is simple, Openreach carries it out and then arranges the visit to your premises. If it is complex, such as work that needs a road closure, it can be a few weeks before Openreach is in touch, and local authority permission under the Traffic Management Act can add delay. Very rarely, Openreach decides after its survey that Full Fibre cannot feasibly be installed.

These are BT's typical figures, not promises from us. BT gives the dates for your order when it is placed.

Getting online before the line is ready

If you need to be online quickly, Hybrid Backup can help. BT says that with Hybrid Backup you can be connected over 4G as soon as the following day, while you wait for the fixed line to be activated. BT's terms tie next-day delivery of the Hybrid Backup device to when the order is placed and to passing credit checks, so we can confirm the likely date with your quote. Hybrid Backup is included with Enhanced and Pro, and an add-on for Essential.

This is useful for a new office, a business that has just taken on premises, or a move where the new line will not be ready on day one. A 4G connection is not the same as a fixed line, so treat it as a bridge until the line is live rather than a long-term substitute.

What to prepare before an engineer visit

An engineer visit goes most smoothly when access and permissions are sorted in advance. BT's own checklist, in plain terms:

1. Pick a date that works. Choose a slot when the right person can be there. BT lets you rearrange up to 48 hours before the visit through its online order tracker.
2. Get the property owner's permission. The engineer may need to drill through walls or secure ladders to the outside of the building. If you rent, ask your landlord before the day. For Full Fibre in a listed building, BT says you need to check with your local authority that drilling through the walls is allowed.
3. Have a power socket ready. The hub, and the ONT on Full Fibre, need power close to where they will go.
4. Have a decision-maker on site for the whole visit, and give their contact details so the engineer can reach them.
5. Clear the space and the route. Remove hazards, sort out access restrictions such as locked plant rooms or security sign-in, and make sure the engineer can get to everywhere they need to work.

On the day, the engineer carries out the work, then tests the connection using one of your devices. In a shared building, check access to communal areas and risers with the building manager in advance: that is often the step that holds things up.

Self-installation

If no engineer is needed, you set up the hub yourself. BT sends it beforehand and says the service will be activated by 23:59 on the agreed date. If you are moving from another provider, BT says the hub arrives in the post a day or so before the switch date, and you connect it once the switch has been made.

If you already have BT broadband and are upgrading, BT notes you may lose the connection for a short time while work is done in the street cabinet. Plan any upgrade work for a quieter time of day if you can.

For BT Ultra Broadband, installation is different: Openreach installs the line, then a BT engineer carries out a longer Expert Setup visit to fit the Cisco Meraki equipment. See Ultra installation. On the other plans, a BT Expert Setup visit can be added to help set up the hub, Wi-Fi discs and devices.

Installation charges

Some orders carry a one-off installation charge. BT explains that even if there is already a socket, work may be needed at the exchange, in the network or in the street cabinet to provide the service. Whether a charge applies to your order, and how much it is, is set out in your quote.

For Full Fibre, BT says excess construction charges only apply in exceptional circumstances, for example where Openreach needs more external work than it first estimated, and that you are told before that work starts. If BT tells us such charges apply to your order, we pass that on so you can decide what to do before you are committed to extra cost.

If installation is delayed

BT says it will let you know by text, email or phone if your activation or start date is delayed, and you can follow the order online. If BT is at fault for a delay to the start of your service, its Customer Service Compensation Scheme may apply; see BT Business Broadband support for how that scheme works.

BT's own guidance points to complex 2 stage Full Fibre installs, where road works need local authority permission, as a cause of delay. Access to a shared building or a landlord's permission that is still outstanding can also hold up a visit, so raise those early.

After installation

Once you are live, a few things are worth doing in the first week:

• Switch on the security you already have. Content Controls and Web Protect come with every plan but are off by default. See BT Web Protect and Content Controls.
• Turn on guest Wi-Fi if visitors or customers need internet access, so they stay off your business network. See guest Wi-Fi.
• Test the speed properly, over a wired connection, and keep a note of the minimum guaranteed speed BT gave you. See running a BT Business Broadband speed test.
• Check anything that used the old line, such as alarms or card machines, if your installation replaced a traditional phone line. See the PSTN switch-off and your broadband.

How we help

We cannot set BT's or Openreach's dates, but we can make the run-up smoother. We can check the access type and likely install route at quote stage, tell you what needs to be in place before the visit, pass on BT's dates and updates as we receive them, and help you plan around a longer Full Fibre install, for example with Hybrid Backup.

Tell us your postcode and when you need to be online. Contact us and we will check what installation your address is likely to need.