Getting broadband where there's no phone line

What some providers say on their own pages and terms (checked October 2026):

These describe standard processes, not promises for your property; digging or a new pole can take longer. Our guide to how long broadband installation takes covers typical waits in each situation.

• Is a new line or survey needed? Say plainly that there is no existing line, and whether the building is a conversion or set back from the road.
• Are there any extra charges? We found no published Openreach or BT price for this, so ask the provider to confirm any installation or construction charges in writing before work starts.
• Can I order now, or only once the connection is ready?
• Can I cancel without paying if the survey finds extra costs?

Openreach is moving the UK's phone lines to digital by January 2027, with calls running over the broadband connection, so a phone service is a separate choice. BT, for example, says its home broadband includes no call service (no dial tone and no emergency calls) unless you add its Digital Home Phone. If you want a landline number at the new property, or you rely on a telecare alarm, raise it when you order. Our guide to the digital landline switchover explains what changes.

Openreach's common reasons for full fibre delays include:

• digging or clearing ducts, either soft digging by hand on surfaces like grass or hard digging by specialist civils (civil engineering) teams;
• cutting back trees, scaffolding for work at height, or road closures;
• removing water or debris from underground chambers and ducts, or needing a specialist engineer;
• permission from a local council or property owner, sometimes in the form of a wayleave (see below).

TalkTalk also warns that a newly built or converted home can bring delays because cabling may be needed, and council permission can add time. With a fixed moving-in date, build in slack and line up a temporary connection.

The requirement to install a gigabit-capable connection, called RA2, does not apply to new homes created by a "material change of use" (converting a barn, chapel, shop or office into a home), or to existing buildings undergoing major renovation. Major renovations come under a separate requirement (R1) about the physical infrastructure inside the building, such as space and routes for cabling, rather than an actual connection. So if you buy a converted barn, don't assume the developer arranged broadband: ask what was installed and check the address yourself.

A self-build home in England counts as a new dwelling, so RA2 applies. The building work must include a gigabit-capable connection unless that would cost more than £2,000 per home (Approved Document R, 2022 edition), in which case the next fastest connection available within that cap is required. The guidance expects at least two suitable network operators to be asked before relying on the cap, so raise broadband with your builder or architect at the design stage.

You can register a site of any size with Openreach, from a single home to a large development. It asks for registration at least eight weeks before work starts on site and/or six months before you want broadband at the property.

Networks define a "standard" installation; anything outside it may need a survey and sometimes a fee agreed in advance. For example (checked October 2026):

• Gigaclear says listed buildings, a longer distance from the property boundary to the building, and surfaces such as block paving, concrete or tarmac can put a job outside its standard service. It then does a survey and may discuss a customer contribution, which it says happens in only a small number of cases. If you know your property falls into one of these groups, tell it when you order so it can go straight to a survey.
• Trooli says properties classed as "Non Duct Lead In" (no existing duct to carry the cable in) need an external survey and may pay a fee agreed in advance.
• Zzoomm surveys jobs expected to take more than four hours.
• YouFibre's standard install covers terminals within 100m of the nearest distribution point.

If your building is far from the road, listed or reached across a special surface, expect a survey and ask about costs first. Openreach says standard installations don't need planning permission; for anything unusual on a listed building or in a conservation area, ask the provider what is proposed and check with your council if unsure.

First decide whether the outbuilding needs its own connection. If it has its own postal address and is lived in separately, start with the same checks as any other property. If it is a garden office or studio belonging to your home, you may be able to extend the house connection instead. Our guide to getting Wi-Fi to a garden office or outbuilding compares the ways to do that.

If indoor mobile signal is good, this is often the fastest option to get running. Three says its home broadband hub needs no engineer and no landline, with next-working-day delivery if you order before 8pm, though speeds aren't guaranteed and depend on hub position, terrain and walls. Vodafone offers a self-installed 5G service with an indoor hub or an Outdoor Hub depending on signal, on rolling one-month plans as well as 12 and 24-month contracts. A rolling monthly plan suits a stop-gap, because it doesn't tie you in for a year or two after the fixed line is working. Our guide on whether 4G or 5G can replace a fixed line explains how to judge your signal.

Fixed wireless sends broadband by radio from a mast to a receiver on your home, with no digging. Airband says its service works on a line-of-sight principle (the receiver needs a clear view of the mast), that it surveys before installing, and that its receivers range from 130mm to 400mm across. Its fixed wireless packages include a free survey and installation. Quickline says its fixed wireless installation is charged and subject to survey. See fixed wireless broadband for rural homes for more.

Starlink uses low earth orbit satellites. It says speeds are maximums rather than guaranteed and can be slower at busy times, and offers a 30-day trial with a full refund. Not every property has a clear view of the sky or a good place for the dish, and ISPreview reports that some locations attract a congestion charge. Our guide to satellite broadband in the UK covers the details.

Since 20 March 2020, eligible homes and businesses have had a legal right to request a broadband connection of at least 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload. This is the Universal Service Obligation (USO). BT handles requests across the UK, and KCOM in the Hull area.

BT's page (checked October 2026) says you can apply if:

• you have no access to a decent, affordable connection now, with "affordable" meaning monthly charges of no more than £59.60;
• you won't get one through a public scheme within 12 months; and
• you can't get a connection through a 4G hub.

On costs, industry contributes up to £3,400 (excluding VAT) per premises. Any excess is shared between the eligible premises in the build area. If the shared excess comes to less than £5,000 per premises, you pay only your share; above that, you have to fund the whole excess. BT aims to build within 12 months, up to 24 for some.

ISPreview reported in July 2026 that Ofcom confirmed Starlink meets the USO criteria, so BT need not build a USO connection where Starlink is available, and that many applicants have been offered 4G or 5G through EE. ISPreview adds that some locations can attract a hefty Starlink congestion charge, and in those niche cases you can still ask BT for a USO connection. The USO may therefore end in a wireless offer rather than a new line. Our guide to the broadband USO explains the process step by step.

Openreach's Fibre Community Partnership is aimed at communities outside its own build plans and those of other networks and public projects. It works out a custom plan with the community, co-funded by the community and Openreach; you register interest through the Fibre Checker using "keep me updated". Its page still mentions Gigabit Broadband Voucher funding, but GOV.UK says that scheme closed to new projects on 31 August 2026, with existing projects delivered by 31 March 2028 at the latest. Our guide to what to do when full fibre isn't in your street covers these routes.