New Build - Internet Options

Soldato
Joined
25 Nov 2004
Posts
3,792
Hi all

I am buying a new build property and to my shock/horror there does not appear to be Fibre or Cable to the property. The property next door can get it but all I am showing for mine is "up to 7mbit" adsl :(

Is there anyone I can contact to find out 100% what the state of play is with fibre? I have a very helpful person from Virgin who is contacting my developers to see if they can move something forward but I am not sure if the same is available from Openreach? Any guidance you can offer me to move this forward is appreciated!
 
I wouldn't worry about it.
If the house next to you that's also a new build then I honestly wouldn't worry.

When you're in the house, or have a completion date, that's when I would worry.

Hilariously I arranged our Virgin well before our completion date whereas a lad who was living on the street already couldn't get Virgin to acknowledge they have the infrastructure ready.
 
I wouldn't worry about it.
If the house next to you that's also a new build then I honestly wouldn't worry.

When you're in the house, or have a completion date, that's when I would worry.

Hilariously I arranged our Virgin well before our completion date whereas a lad who was living on the street already couldn't get Virgin to acknowledge they have the infrastructure ready.
The house next to me isn't a new build. The place where our new builds have been erected, judging from street view, used to be some garages. The developer obviously bought up this land and turned it into houses. They tell me they have put in ducting and wiring as per BT's specifications so I think it will be fine. Really don't want BT, I far prefer Virgin but whatever I can get over and above ADSL I will take!
 
I am buying a new build property and to my shock/horror there does not appear to be Fibre or Cable to the property. The property next door can get it but all I am showing for mine is "up to 7mbit" adsl :(

The operative words are, "No sale."

They tell me they have put in ducting and wiring as per BT's specifications so I think it will be fine.

Don't trust them. If you really want the house make the purchase contingent on the provision of fibre broadband.
 
In our new build all the virgin stuff was already there, this should be minimum expectation really.

Is there any of these new builds currently lived in? Could check their post code
 
Enter the postcode into this: https://www.telecom-tariffs.co.uk/codelook.htm If the cabinets that serve the area are fibre enabled, you will definitely be able to get FTTC. The DSL checker probably won’t reflect this until Openreach has run the new cabling from the block to the cabinet or potentially until an order has been placed to activate a line.
 
The operative words are, "No sale."



Don't trust them. If you really want the house make the purchase contingent on the provision of fibre broadband.
Would love to but I have a Mrs who would be far worse than having rubbish internet :p

In our new build all the virgin stuff was already there, this should be minimum expectation really.

Is there any of these new builds currently lived in? Could check their post code
None of them are currently lived in, it is a small 5 house development, not a vast 200 odd one.

Enter the postcode into this: https://www.telecom-tariffs.co.uk/codelook.htm If the cabinets that serve the area are fibre enabled, you will definitely be able to get FTTC. The DSL checker probably won’t reflect this until Openreach has run the new cabling from the block to the cabinet or potentially until an order has been placed to activate a line.
This sounds most plausible. Houses on both ends of the street have Fibre and are connected to the same cabinet. What I have been reading is that you have to place an order for at least a telephone to be connected before any of your options will show up correctly on searches. Fingers crossed that's all it is!
 
Well, Virgin have been super helpful in this whole malarkey. They just did a site visit with my developer and have said they can get service to my property "pretty easily" they do need to dig up some of the street but they will pay for it and won't cost anything except some time from my developers side. So, I wait to hear if they commission the work or not. If not then I am very tempted to say "no Virgin, no exchange!" but I need to get that past my Mrs first. Anyhooo, something is happening so I am happy with that :)
 
Aaannndddd this is why I want to get the ball rolling now before I move in in October!
It's good that your developer has actually engaged with Virgin Media as most wouldn't bother. As a backup, you should push them to keep Openreach informed of the expected completion date. My developer told Openreach nothing until the block was finished, and it was then discovered that there were several blockages along the route to the cabinet that took three months to clear.
 
It's good that your developer has actually engaged with Virgin Media as most wouldn't bother. As a backup, you should push them to keep Openreach informed of the expected completion date. My developer told Openreach nothing until the block was finished, and it was then discovered that there were several blockages along the route to the cabinet that took three months to clear.
yea and this is what I am reading all over the internet. Developers seem to think that simply putting some ducting in and having it "ready" is enough. They should be contacting providers when work is at a point so they can come in and do what they need to do. Buying any house in this day and age you should have a box on the wall on the outside of your property on the day you move in and an engineer just has to attend site and crimp two cables together (sort of thing anyway) but it seems we are a long long way off that ideal!
 
I am literally in the process of buying a new build, both neighbors can get fibre but ours is showing bog standard ADSL (up to 3.5mb at that!) however after doing a bit of research it seems that you need to get a landline ASAP and wait for BT to update their systems, then fibre will be available. I can see from the checks above that I am connected to the same cabinet as the neighbors so no issue there, it's simply that the property isn't in the system. Hopefully it won't take 6 months as mentioned above, the rough timescale over on the BT forums i've seen are up to 2 months after the phone line is installed. As the house I am purchasing was built in place of an old building, well, 4 new semi-detached properties in place but the old place is still showing I am half tempted to order for the old place :p but am sure it would create more problems in the long run.
 
I am literally in the process of buying a new build, both neighbors can get fibre but ours is showing bog standard ADSL (up to 3.5mb at that!) however after doing a bit of research it seems that you need to get a landline ASAP and wait for BT to update their systems, then fibre will be available. I can see from the checks above that I am connected to the same cabinet as the neighbors so no issue there, it's simply that the property isn't in the system. Hopefully it won't take 6 months as mentioned above, the rough timescale over on the BT forums i've seen are up to 2 months after the phone line is installed. As the house I am purchasing was built in place of an old building, well, 4 new semi-detached properties in place but the old place is still showing I am half tempted to order for the old place :p but am sure it would create more problems in the long run.
Very useful advice, thanks! Seems so outdated in 2018 to need a phone line in order to update their systems as to what internet services you can get. I don't want a phone line but if I need to order one to get things moving then I will do so! Let's hope they just put Virgin in for me :)
 
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