One of the most common surprises for businesses ordering their first leased line is how long it takes. Broadband can often be connected in days or a couple of weeks where it is already available. A leased line is different because it is a dedicated fibre connection built for your premises, and that involves planning, surveys and sometimes construction work.
This guide walks through each stage from order to go live, explains why some installations take longer, and shows how to plan an office move or opening so you are not left without a connection.
The typical lead time
Many UK leased lines are built on Openreach's Ethernet Access Direct (EAD) product. ISPreview reports that a standard EAD order usually takes around 33 working days, and that surveys, groundworks or permissions can make it longer. Thirty three working days is roughly seven weeks once weekends are taken into account, before allowing for bank holidays.
Treat that as a starting point rather than a promise. Where construction or third party permission is needed, the timescale can stretch well beyond it.
Step by step: from order to live
1. Quote and order
It starts with your address. Your provider checks how close the nearest suitable fibre is and gives you a price, which may be subject to survey. Once you accept and sign, the order is placed with the network operator. Make sure the order has accurate site details, including the floor, the room where the equipment will go, and a named contact who can grant access.
2. Site survey
An engineer visits to plan the route the fibre will take into your building and to the point where the equipment will be installed. They look at existing ducts, entry points, internal cable routes and power. The survey identifies whether any extra work is needed, which may lead to excess construction charges. Our guide to leased line costs explains how those work.
3. Wayleaves and permissions
A wayleave is written permission from a property owner allowing cabling to be installed and maintained on their land or in their building. If you rent your premises, your landlord will usually need to agree. If the route crosses land owned by someone else, such as a neighbouring unit or a private road, their agreement may be needed too.
This is often the stage where delays creep in, simply because the right person has to be found and has to sign. Speaking to your landlord or managing agent as soon as you start thinking about a leased line can save weeks.
4. Civils and construction
"Civils" is the industry term for civil engineering work: digging, laying new ducts, installing poles or clearing blocked ducts. Not every installation needs it. Where it does, work in a public road may need permits from the local highways authority and traffic management, which adds time.
5. Fibre installation
Once the route is ready, engineers pull the fibre through to your building and run it internally to the agreed location. This is usually a comms room or a cabinet. A network terminating unit is fitted, which is the box where the fibre ends and your service begins.
6. Testing and handover
The line is tested end to end. Your provider then installs or configures the router or firewall, sets up your IP addresses and confirms the service is working. At this point you can move your network across.
Why some installations take longer
- Landlord or landowner permission is slow to arrive.
- Blocked or full ducts need clearing or replacing.
- Road works need permits and booked traffic management.
- Access problems, such as engineers arriving to find the building locked or the comms room inaccessible.
- Older or listed buildings where internal cabling routes are harder to agree.
Most of these are outside anyone's direct control, but several can be reduced with good preparation.
Planning an office move or opening
If you are moving into new premises or opening a new site, the leased line should be one of the first things on your list, ideally as soon as the lease is agreed. A practical approach:
- Check the new address early. Get a quote as soon as you have a confirmed address, even before you sign the lease if you can.
- Ask the landlord about wayleaves straight away. Find out who signs them and how long it normally takes.
- Agree where the equipment will go. A secure, ventilated space with power is best.
- Allow plenty of time. Plan for more than the standard lead time, not exactly the standard lead time.
- Arrange a temporary connection. Business full fibre or a mobile router can bridge the gap if the line is not ready for day one.
- Keep the temporary connection as backup. Once the leased line is live, a second connection over a different technology adds resilience.
Our moving office broadband checklist covers the wider move, and our guide to backup and failover explains how a second connection can protect you.
Keeping track of your order
Ask your provider how they will keep you updated. You should know when the survey is booked, whether any extra work or permissions are needed, and the expected completion date. If the date changes, you want to hear about it early so you can adjust your plans.
Talk to us early
Our team in Sunderland helps businesses across the North East and the rest of the UK plan leased line installations around moves, openings and expansions. Visit our leased lines page to check your address or ask for a leased line quote, or call 0191 543 3432. The sooner we know your dates, the more time there is to get everything in place.