Moving broadband to a new home
Everything to know about taking your broadband package with you
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In the past, it wasn't uncommon for providers to charge an installation fee when you signed up to their broadband service.
But the good news is that these days, most providers waive set-up fees entirely - so long as you've got an active phone at your address.
Here we take look at how to track down a deal with no installation fee, as well the average installation timeframes for the biggest providers and whether you'll need an engineer to install your service.
Most providers offer free broadband installation and activation, although this depends on the kind of deal you choose and the area where you live.
If you don’t have a phone line and require one to get a broadband connection, then you may have to pay to have one installed first.
If you’re taking out an ADSL or standard superfast fibre broadband plan, a phone line will be required, while ultrafast, fibre-to-the-premises deals don’t need a phone line in order to work.
Many providers cover installation costs as a sweetener in order to entice new customers.
If you already have broadband and are switching suppliers, you may find you don’t need to pay to get broadband installed - it could be as simple as plugging in your new router and waiting for activation.
There are three simple steps to compare broadband deals and switch providers
Ensure you're no longer within the minimum terms of the contract length with your current broadband provider. You can find out by looking at your original contract, confirmation email, or by contacting their customer service.
We algorithmically sort broadband packages based on your location, the speed you'd get, and how much it costs.
Your new provider should contact your current provider and arrange the switch for you. And you'll receive letters and emails updating you on this.
Whether you're looking for cheap and cheerful or high-spec full fibre broadband, everyone's needs are different. Finding the best deal for you starts with understanding how you plan to use it or if bundling your services lower your monthly bill.
If you're still in your minimum term, you'd be subject to an early repayment charge if you ended your contract early.
If you're out of contract or approaching the end, you can switch without penality.
A tariff may offer everything you're looking for, but does it come to the right monthly price and offer good value for money? Shop around to find the right tariff at the best possible price.
Many providers offer tempting incentives, such as cashback or gift cards to new customers. These may help bring down the cost of an expensive broadband deal, although you should also consider whether these gifts are as important as factors such as speed and cost.
Broadband installation tends to take a standard 14 days if you already have a landline and 21 days if you don’t.
Some providers, such as Community Fibre in London, send out a 4G dongle to get you connected within 24 hours, although this won’t offer the same speeds or regular connection you can expect from home broadband.
The 14 day rule is down to Openreach’s guidelines. Seeing as almost all providers, including BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Plusnet use Openreach, getting broadband in less than 14 days is unlikely.
As Virgin Media uses its own network, you may get it sooner, although it too promises 14 days installation.
BT - 14 days with landline, 21 days without landline
Virgin Media - within 14 days
Sky - 14 days with landline, 21 days without landline
TalkTalk - 14 days with landline, 21 days without landline
Plusnet - 14 days with landline, 21 days without landline
EE - 14 days with landline, 21 days without landline
Now Broadband - 14 days with landline, 21 days without landline
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There are a growing number of fibre broadband packages that cost nothing to have installed.
Many of these are fibre-to-the-cabinet offerings, meaning they complete the journey into the home using copper wiring and, as such, offer broadband speeds ranging from 33Mbps to 67Mbps on average.
For fast full fibre, you’ll need to have fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) tech installed in your area.
A number of providers, including BT, TalkTalk, Sky, Virgin Media and Vodafone, offer free installation of its ultrafast services.
As download speeds up to 900Mbps become more common and providers compete for your cash, expect to see more and more free installation fibre broadband deals become available.
If you already have fibre broadband, you’re unlikely to notice any change in your service until your new provider installs its service.
Next-day broadband is uncommon, although in London Community Fibre sends out a 4G dongle to new customers so they can get online as quickly as possible ahead of the full installation of its ultrafast fibre network.
If you’re having a new phone line installed or switching to full fibre, then it’s likely you’ll need to have an engineer visit your home.
This usually happens within 14 days of signing up.
However, if you’re switching to a similar deal with a different provider that doesn’t require a change to FTTP tech, or you already have a phone line, most providers will simply post you a new router with easy to follow instructions to get you up and running in a matter of minutes.
You can get broadband deals with free installation, but you’ll still have to pay a monthly subscription to access the internet from your home.
Even if your broadband deal has no set-up fee, you may also have to pay for delivery of hardware such as a new router – although many providers offer free routers that must be returned once your contract is finished.
The closest you can get to free broadband is a cheap broadband deal with no upfront costs.
Most free installation broadband deals are for standard ADSL or cable connections.
If you’re looking for a fibre optic package, you’re more likely to have to pay a set-up fee. However, free installation fibre optic broadband deals do exist.
If you don’t need a phone line, our guide to broadband deals without a landline can help you find the right plan.
The good news is that many of these plans don’t require setup fees and come with next generation speeds too.
You don’t need a landline telephone to get broadband, but you will generally need a phone line – so you’ll have to pay for line rental even if your broadband deal comes with free installation.
If you need a new phone line installing to get broadband, the cost of setting up the phone line will vary depending on the provider you choose.
However, many will offer free phone line installation if you’re in an area that it already covers.
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