Moving premises with BT Business Broadband

Start early: how much notice BT needs

The first thing BT does when you move is check what technology the new address has and whether it has had a service before. That check decides how long the move takes.

BT says it can organise simple moves within two to three weeks, but more complex moves can take up to three months. How much notice you need depends on how complex your services are, appointment availability and the state of the building you are moving to. A unit in a new development with no line in place, or a site that needs Openreach to lay new fibre, sits at the long end.

Our advice is simple: tell us as soon as you have an address, even before the lease is signed. We can check the new site's access type and likely install route in advance, which can also help you choose between two buildings.

What the new address can change

A move is not always like for like. The new premises might have a different kind of line, which affects which plans and speeds you can have:

If you are on Pro or Ultra today and the new building only has copper, the plan cannot simply move with you. We can check this before you commit to the move so there are no surprises. See checking BT Business Broadband availability and BT Business Broadband speeds.

Your contract when you move

What happens to your contract is set by BT's terms. BT's moving help says that when you cancel the connection at your old premises the original contract terms apply, and if the minimum term has not ended you are liable for the remaining balance. However, BT says that if you install BT Business Broadband at your new location, outstanding minimum-term charges at the old location are credited to the new account after installation.

Charges for the move itself depend on which services you need and what is already installed at the new premises. BT sets them out in the contract it sends to confirm the order, and we include them in your quote. Because BT's terms can change, everything is confirmed at the time of your move. See BT Business Broadband contracts for how minimum terms work.

Keeping your phone numbers

Numbers matter more than broadband to many businesses, because customers and suppliers know them. The good news is that digital and cloud phone services are not tied to a building in the way traditional lines were.

• BT Digital Line. BT says you can take your digital phone line with you when you move, keeping the same number and the same phones. See BT Business Broadband and Phone.
• BT Cloud Voice. BT says cloud-based set-ups let you keep the same number wherever your business moves. For teams, BT Cloud Voice moves with the people, not the building.
• A traditional line. BT no longer sells traditional phone lines, so a move is a natural point to bring an old number onto a digital service. See the PSTN switch-off and your broadband.

Plan number moves alongside the broadband, not afterwards. Phone services over the internet depend on the new connection, so their go-live date follows the broadband's.

Staying online during the move

The awkward part of most moves is the gap between leaving the old building and the new line going live. Some ways to cover it:

• Hybrid Backup. BT says Hybrid Backup can connect you over 4G as soon as the following day, while you wait for the fixed line to be activated. Ask us whether that applies to your move. See Hybrid Backup.
• Overlap the services. If timings allow, keep the old site live until the new one is working, then cancel. BT says it co-ordinates stopping the old service and starting the new one to suit your plans.
• Mobile working for a few days. With cloud apps and a cloud phone system, staff can work from home or on mobile data while the line is installed.

BT says it can help move some equipment and install it at the new premises for certain products, though there could be a charge, and lead times depend on how complex the equipment is.

A moving checklist for your broadband

Use this as a starting point and add your own dates:

1. As soon as you have an address: ask us to check the access type and likely installation route.
2. Once the lease is agreed: confirm the plan for the new site, the move date and whether the old site should overlap.
3. Agree access early: landlord permission for drilling or cabling, building manager contacts and where the comms cabinet will go.
4. List what uses the old line: alarms, card machines, door entry, lift phones and franking machines, and arrange replacements at the new site.
5. Plan numbers: move numbers onto a Digital Line or BT Cloud Voice so they go with you.
6. Check static IPs: if you rely on static IP addresses, ask at quote whether they can stay the same, and plan for remote access, VPN and camera settings to change if not.
7. Week of the move: confirm the activation date, set up the hub or meet the engineer, and test before staff arrive.

When broadband is not enough at the new site

A move is often when businesses outgrow broadband: more staff, more video calls, more cloud. If the new premises will have a lot of people or upload-heavy work, it is worth looking at whether BT Ultra Broadband or a leased line suits better. Our guide on when to upgrade from broadband to a leased line covers the signs, and our sister site explains moving a BTnet leased line, which needs much longer notice than broadband.

How we help with a move

We can check the new address early, explain what will and will not move like for like, quote for the new site, place the orders, pass on BT's dates and help you line up numbers, backup and the devices that depended on the old line.

Tell us your current and new postcodes and your target date. Contact us and we will start the checks.