Full fibre installation: what happens at the appointment?

Agree the cable route before the drilling starts.

The answer in 2 lines. Full fibre brings a fibre cable into your home, usually ending at a powered wall-mounted terminal connected to your router. The route and equipment depend on the network and what is already installed. Before the appointment, clear access, arrange any landlord or building permissions and discuss where the equipment should go. Before the engineer leaves, ask what has been tested and whether the service is live. Installation and activation are not always completed together.

Prepare for the visit

Read your appointment confirmation: check whether the visit covers a survey, external work, internal installation or activation.
Clear access to the proposed cable entry point and equipment position, including outside areas.
Arrange permission for alterations if you rent, and access to communal cupboards if you live in a block.
Keep your order confirmation available and agree the cable route and equipment location before work begins.

Stop: danger

Unsafe work area: keep children and pets away from drilling, ladders and open access chambers. Leave equipment and covers to the installer.
Possible hidden services: tell the engineer about known electrical cables, gas pipes or water pipes near the proposed drilling point. Ask them to assess another route if necessary.

What normally happens

The engineer checks how the cable can reach your home. It may come from an overhead connection or an underground duct. Existing routes may be usable, but this is not guaranteed.

A typical installation includes an external connection point and an internal optical network terminal, often called an ONT. The router connects to this terminal. If suitable equipment is already installed, the work may be different.

Walk through the proposed route together. Ask where holes, visible cable and boxes will go, how entry points will be sealed and what making good is included. Ask your provider about appointment length rather than assuming a standard visit will fit around another commitment.

Choose a practical equipment position

Ask which power sockets are needed for the terminal and router. Choose an accessible position where cables will not be trapped behind moving furniture. Discuss Wi-Fi coverage as well as the easiest cable route: a convenient entry point may not give good wireless coverage throughout the home.

Ask what happens if your preferred location falls outside the included installation. Get any additional charge confirmed before agreeing. Keep the equipment instructions and ask which lights indicate a working connection.

What not to do

Assuming broadband in the street means every flat is ready for an immediate connection.
Agreeing to an unexpected charge without a written explanation.
Moving or opening installed fibre equipment yourself.
Letting an unexpected visitor begin work without checking the appointment through your provider's usual contact details.

Renting or living in a block

Ask your landlord or managing agent who can authorise the proposed alterations. Permission for your own flat does not necessarily cover communal walls, cupboards or land.

A wayleave is an access agreement allowing network equipment to be installed or maintained. Read the explanation in GOV.UK's access-agreements guidance, then ask your provider whether an agreement is needed and who must sign it. Do not sign on behalf of a freeholder or neighbour.

This guide concerns England. Property arrangements and legal procedures can differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Before the engineer leaves

If activation is included, ask for a demonstration and try your own device. Confirm whether any ordered telephone service also works. Photograph the finished installation and raise visible damage immediately.

If service is not live, ask exactly what remains outstanding, who will arrange it and how you will receive updates. Keep the visit reference.

If changing provider, follow Ofcom's switching guidance: ask the new provider to manage the switch, and clarify cancellation arrangements before separately ending your existing service.

Good to know

A health pendant or alarm using your phone line needs attention before a change. Use GOV.UK's digital-landline guidance to identify what to discuss with your phone and alarm providers.
If the installation fails, record the reason rather than accepting an unexplained promise of another visit.
If a complaint remains unresolved, use Ofcom's dispute-resolution guidance to check the escalation route and find the appropriate scheme.

Illustrative example: Priya in Leeds clears the hallway cupboard before her appointment. The proposed route crosses a communal wall, so she checks permission with the managing agent first. During the visit, she agrees the equipment position and asks for an internet test. She keeps photographs and the completion message.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 6 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for access-agreement principles, switching and complaint routes; medium for the installation sequence, equipment placement and work included, which depend on the network, property and order.