Switching your business broadband to BT

How switching to BT works

BT describes switching to BT Business Broadband in three steps:

1. Place the order. BT checks what is available at your address, and you choose a plan and any add-ons. When you buy through us, we do this part with you.
2. BT contacts your current provider. BT's broadband switching guidance says you do not need to tell your current provider yourself, because BT does it for you. One of BT's help articles still says that if you switch broadband only you contact your current provider, so we confirm which applies to your order when it is placed.
3. BT gets you up and running. BT tells you when the switch will happen. On the day, BT says you could typically be without broadband for about 30 minutes.

BT says switching takes a minimum of 10 working days, and your existing broadband service continues during that period. If the switch needs an engineer, for example because your new plan runs on Full Fibre and an ONT has to be fitted, the timescale follows the installation instead. See BT Business Broadband installation.

What BT needs from you

BT lists the information it asks for when you switch:

• What you want, and the address where you want it
• Your company details
• Your contact details
• Personal details for a credit check, where appropriate
• Payment details

It also helps to have a recent bill from your current provider to hand. It shows the account holder, the services on the line and, often, the contract end date. If your current broadband runs on a phone line, the number on that line helps identify the right connection.

Five checks before you switch

These are the things that cause problems after a switch if no one looks at them first:

1. Your current contract. When does your minimum term end, and would leaving early mean charges? That is between you and your current provider, so check your terms or ask them before you order.
2. Static IP addresses. BT says existing static IPs cannot be moved from another provider. If you use them for remote access, VPNs, cameras or a server, plan for new addresses and the settings that depend on them. See static IP addresses on BT Business Broadband.
3. Your phone number. A broadband-only plan has no phone service, so a number that matters needs a new home: a BT Digital Line bundled with your broadband, or BT Cloud Voice. We can check each number before ordering. See BT Business Broadband and Phone.
4. Anything using the old line. Alarms, card machines, lift phones, franking machines, fax and door entry may rely on a traditional phone line, which BT no longer sells. See the PSTN switch-off and your broadband.
5. Services tied to your old provider. Email addresses on your provider's domain, web hosting or security services bought with the broadband will not move with the connection. Arrange replacements before the old account closes.

None of these stops a switch, but each one is easier to handle a fortnight before the changeover than the morning after.

Choosing the right plan when you switch

A switch is a good moment to look again at what the business needs, rather than buying the nearest match to what you had:

• Essential covers the basics: BT's minimum speed guarantee, guest Wi-Fi, Content Controls and Web Protect, and Standard Care.
• Enhanced adds Hybrid Backup, so the connection switches to 4G if the line fails, plus one static IP and BT's Enhanced IT Support.
• Pro adds Smart Hub 3, Complete Wi-Fi Plus, Prompt Care and Wi-Fi Security Controls, on Full Fibre or Standard Fibre.
• Ultra replaces the hub with a BT-managed Cisco Meraki security appliance and access points, on Standard Fibre 76 or Full Fibre.

Our plan comparison sets out what each includes. If your current connection is on an old copper line and Full Fibre has reached your street, switching can also be the time to move up to it.

What a business plan adds if you are switching from home broadband

Many small businesses start on home broadband and switch when the connection starts to matter. Moving to BT Business Broadband brings things a home service is not designed for:

• BT's minimum speed guarantee, given before your service starts, with a right to end the service if BT cannot fix speeds that fall to or below it. See BT's minimum speed guarantee.
• Business fault-fix targets under Standard Care or Prompt Care, backed by BT's Customer Service Compensation Scheme.
• Backup and fixed addresses: Hybrid Backup and a static IP are included with Enhanced and Pro, and available as add-ons on Essential.
• Guest Wi-Fi kept separate from the business network, included on every plan.
• Business security options, from Content Controls and Web Protect on every plan to Wi-Fi Security Controls on Pro and the managed Cisco Meraki package on Ultra.

If you already have BT broadband at home and run the business from there, BT has a residential-to-business team that migrates the service over, and we can help you work out whether a business plan is worth it. See business broadband vs home broadband and business broadband at home.

Already with BT?

If you already have BT Business Broadband, you are not switching: you are changing plan, speed or access type. That is usually simpler, though a move to Full Fibre can still need an engineer. See upgrading your BT Business Broadband, and talk to us before your minimum term ends so you can choose what comes next rather than rolling on by default. Our page on BT Business Broadband contracts explains how terms work.

Switch day

On the day, BT says the gap is typically around 30 minutes. A little preparation makes it painless:

• Pick a quieter day for the switch if you have the choice, away from month-end or a busy trading period.
• Set up the BT hub as soon as BT confirms the switch, following BT's guide, or have it ready for the engineer if one is booked.
• Reconnect wired devices that were plugged into the old router: printers, phones, network storage and access points.
• Check remote access and any port forwarding if you used them before, because the router and possibly the IP address have changed.
• Run a wired speed test once things settle, and keep a note of the minimum guaranteed speed BT gave you. See running a BT Business Broadband speed test.

Your old provider's router is no longer needed once you are live on BT. Check your old provider's terms about returning it.

If the switch is delayed

For broadband, BT's Customer Service Compensation Scheme covers a delayed start of service and delayed switching where BT fails to provide the service by the agreed date and is at fault. The details are on our BT Business Broadband support page. We cannot speed up BT's processes, but we can pass on what BT tells us and help you understand what happens next.

How we help you switch

We look at what you have now, what you actually need, and what your address can get. Then we quote, place the order, pass on BT's dates, and help you work through the checks above so that remote access, numbers and devices on the old line are not forgotten.

Send us a recent broadband bill and your postcode. Contact us and we will come back with a recommendation and a quote.