How long does a BTnet leased line take to install?

BT's answer: up to 70 working days, depending on survey

BT's own help pages say a new BTnet service can take up to 70 working days, and that the time depends on the survey. That is roughly three months of working days, so the earlier you start, the more control you have over your go-live date.

BT does not publish standard lead times for BTnet, saying they would be misleading. That makes sense when you consider that every leased line is built to a particular building, and the work varies from site to site. The one exception BT names is BTnet Express, which uses easier-to-install cabling options and has a typical lead time of 35 to 40 working days.

These are BT's dates, set under BT's terms. We pass them on clearly and help you plan around them; we do not set them or promise them.

How BT predicts your lead time before you order

As part of an order, BT can give an up-front lead-time prediction. BT bases it on two things:

• Average installation times in your area, which reflect how quickly lines are typically delivered locally
• A desktop survey of your site, which estimates how complex delivery is likely to be and places the job in a delivery "category"

The prediction is useful for planning and for comparing options, such as standard BTnet against BTnet Express, or one site against another. It is not a date to build a project plan around, because the desktop survey cannot see inside your building or under the road outside it. Our page on how BTnet availability is checked explains what the desktop survey can and cannot tell you.

The Customer Committed Date

After the site survey, BT gives you a Customer Committed Date (CCD): the date on which delivery of the service is due to start, for each site and each part of the service. Under BT's terms:

• BT uses commercially reasonable endeavours to meet the CCD.
• On-time delivery is a BT service level. If BT misses the CCD, you can claim a credit against the standard service introduction charges, from 5% for 1 to 10 Business Days late up to 20% for more than 20. BT's terms say the claim is made within 28 days of the CCD; the BTnet SLA page explains more.
• An estimated date replaces the CCD where BT cannot give a committed date.
• Your changes can move it. If you ask to change the service or part of it, BT may revise the CCD to accommodate the change, and credits are then measured from the revised date.
• Cancellation charges start here. Once BT has confirmed the CCD, cancelling the order attracts cancellation charges by bearer type. Before that point, BT's terms say no cancellation charge applies.

The CCD is the date to plan around. Until you have it, treat any date as an indication.

What affects the lead time

Every BTnet installation is different. These are the factors that most often decide where in the range your date falls:

• The survey result. Whether a suitable access line can reach your building along an existing route, or new infrastructure is needed.
• Excess construction. New duct, digging or other civil works add time, and may need a re-quote before work continues. See excess construction charges.
• Wayleaves. If the route crosses land or a building you do not own, work waits for the owner's signed agreement. See wayleave agreement.
• Your site being ready. Space, power, cable routes and access in Business Hours. See site preparation.
• Resilience. A second access line, especially on a separate route, is a second piece of engineering to plan.
• Data centre delivery. Where BTnet is delivered to a data centre, you arrange the cross-connect from the data centre's meet-me room to your equipment.
• Changes after order. A change of speed, plan or address can revise the CCD.

BT's terms also note that BT is not liable for delay if a supplier BT relies on delays or refuses supply, or if legal or regulatory restrictions prevent delivery.

Can a BTnet installation be expedited?

Sometimes. BT's terms say BT may expedite delivery for operational reasons or at your request, but expediting does not change the CCD, so the on-time delivery service level is still measured against the original date.

If you ask BT to expedite after BT has told you the CCD, BT's terms allow BT to charge for it. Whether expediting is possible at all depends on what is holding the job up: it cannot speed up a landlord's signature or a highway permit. We can ask the question and give you BT's answer and any charge before you decide.

Planning around the lead time

The safest approach is to work backwards from the date you need the line, with room to spare:

1. Start the conversation early. For an office move, talk to us as soon as you have a likely address, even before the lease is signed.
2. Get the prediction. Ask for the desktop survey category and predicted lead time for each address you are considering.
3. Check your existing contracts. Note the notice period and end date of your current connection so it does not end before BTnet is live.
4. Order, then get surveyed. The survey is the first step of the order, and the CCD follows it.
5. Clear the blockers. Landlord consent, building access and site preparation are the parts you control.
6. Line up dependent projects. Plan phone and system moves for after the Service Start Date, because BT may bill from that date even if dependent services are not ready.

If you are moving premises with an existing BTnet line, our guide to moving a leased line explains how BT treats internal and external moves. If phones are moving to the cloud at the same time, see how BT Cloud Voice uses your connection on cloudvoice.cloud.

How Forever Communications helps

Forever Communications is an Authorised Supplier for BT, and we can help you get a realistic date early and keep the order moving: we gather BT's predictions for the addresses you are considering, explain what the desktop survey category means, line up landlord and site details before survey, and explain each update as BT confirms the CCD. Dates remain BT's and are confirmed after survey.

Need a line by a particular date? Contact us with the address and your target date, and we will tell you what BT's process looks like for that site.