Broadband in a new-build home: what to expect

Regulations that came into force on 26 December 2022 added two requirements for new homes to Part R of the Building Regulations 2010, with official guidance in Approved Document R Volume 1:

• Requirement RA1, gigabit-ready infrastructure. The developer must install the physical routes for a fast connection, such as ducting, up to a network distribution point (or as close as reasonably practicable if it does not have rights over the land in between). This applies even if no gigabit connection ends up being installed, so the home is ready for one later.
• Requirement RA2, a gigabit-capable connection. Each new home must be given a working connection to a gigabit-capable network, meaning one capable of download speeds of at least 1,000Mbps (1Gbps), subject to a cost cap of £2,000 per home.

Before work starts, the developer must give building control a connectivity plan naming the network the homes will be connected to, along with evidence for any exemption it is relying on.

The £2,000 cap includes VAT and covers the connection only, not the ducting, the developer's admin costs or the broadband service you later buy. Any contribution a network operator makes is deducted before the cap is applied. When the government published its guidance for developers in January 2023, it said Openreach, Virgin Media and Gigaclear had committed to contribute to connection costs. Openreach also says its full fibre for new developments is free to developers on sites of 20 or more plots.

If a gigabit connection can't be had within the cap, the developer must fit the next fastest connection that can:

1. a gigabit-capable connection (at least 1,000Mbps download), or if not possible within the cap
2. a high-speed connection (at least 30Mbps), or if not possible
3. a USO-standard connection, meaning at least the 10Mbps minimum download speed set for the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO).

If even a USO-standard connection would cost more than the cap, the connection requirement does not apply. The ducting requirement usually still does, unless the home is in an isolated area where the prospect of any connection is too remote to justify it (Approved Document R Volume 1, paragraphs 1.6f and 2.19). A developer relying on that isolated-area exemption has to give building control evidence for it. A developer can only claim it couldn't connect within the cap if it invited at least two suitable network operators to offer and none did so at or under the cap within the time allowed. (The regulation gives 30 days from the invitation; the guidance document refers to 30 working days.)

Approved Document R says the rules cover new homes on housing developments, self-build new homes and new homes in mixed-use developments. Its own example of the last is a live/work unit: a home that is also a workplace for people who don't live there.

They do not cover homes created by converting an existing building (for example an office turned into flats, which the regulations call a material change of use), existing buildings undergoing major renovation, or rooms in hostels, hotels and similar. There is also a transitional rule: developments whose building notice, initial notice or full plans went in before 26 December 2022 are outside the rules, as long as work started on site within 12 months. So a home completed in 2024 or 2025 is not automatically covered; it depends on when that development was submitted.

A new block of flats needs a shared access point and cabling to every flat, with room for at least one gigabit-capable connection per flat. See our guide to full fibre in a block of flats.

Wales: the Building etc. (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2025 came into force on 1 July 2025 with rules that mirror England's, including the £2,000 per-home cost cap (including VAT, and excluding the ducting and the developer's admin costs), the same fallbacks to a high-speed and then a USO-standard connection, and the same test of inviting at least two suitable providers. The transitional rule mirrors England's too: work notified before 1 July 2025 is outside the rules if it started before that date or within 12 months of it.

Scotland: the Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2024 came into force on 1 January 2025. They add a building standard requiring gigabit-ready infrastructure inside new buildings, a common access point and, to the extent that it is reasonably practicable, a connection to a gigabit-capable network. ISPreview reported that the Scottish approach applies a £2,000 cost cap to the connection, with the next fastest connection within the cap as the fallback and ducting still required where no connection is possible.

Northern Ireland: we have not confirmed whether there is an equivalent rule. Openreach runs a separate site-registration route for developers there. If you are buying in Northern Ireland, ask the developer directly which network is being installed and whether a connection is included.

Some operators only build and run the cables, and invite providers to sell over them. OFNL is an example: it describes its new-build networks as open access, with a choice of 18 residential providers. Its list is made up of smaller brands such as Seethelight, Kinetic Telecom and Vfast, and availability varies by postcode. OFNL notes that providers must sign its agreement to connect, and that BT has signed but only sells business services there, so it can't currently offer home broadband on OFNL.

Openreach also sells access to all providers on the same terms, and says it has more than 690 communications providers as customers, so an Openreach-connected home usually has plenty of providers to choose from.

Other operators build the network and sell broadband over it themselves. FibreNest runs full fibre on Persimmon and Charles Church developments and takes orders for its own broadband through its website. Hyperoptic builds its own network, mostly into flats and new-build developments, and sells its own broadband. 4th Utility says it partners with landlords, property developers and house builders to install its own fibre, naming developers such as Crest Nicholson and David Wilson Homes. Its sister brand Rise Fibre sells over 4th Utility's network in selected blocks of flats and new-build developments, but mostly over Openreach and CityFibre. These smaller independent networks are often called altnets (alternative networks to Openreach and Virgin Media); as the table above shows, a few others, such as Community Fibre, Grain Connect, CityFibre and YouFibre, also had small numbers of new-build homes live in 2024/25.

Here you may have only one provider to choose from. That isn't automatically bad, but with no competition on your doorstep the contract terms deserve a careful read. Our explainer on what an altnet is covers how these networks differ from Openreach.

• Look at shorter contracts. Ofcom's rules mean providers in scope must offer at least one contract of 12 months or less. Some operators that sell over their own network go further: FibreNest offers 12-month and 30-day options alongside 24-month contracts, Hyperoptic sells monthly rolling plans in some locations, and 4th Utility offers 30-day plans (as does its sister brand Rise Fibre). Rise Fibre says its 30-day plans cost more, and both Rise Fibre and 4th Utility say their 30-day plans have more frequent price reviews, so compare the total cost over the time you expect to stay. Our guide to rolling monthly broadband contracts weighs this up.
• Switching later is easier than it used to be. Since 12 September 2024, One Touch Switch lets you move between providers, including those on different networks, by contacting only the new provider. So if a second network reaches your estate later, moving is simpler; just check for early exit fees first.
• Register interest with other networks. Hyperoptic and 4th Utility both let you register interest in a building that isn't connected yet; 4th Utility says it starts installing in a building once enough interest is registered, but where its network isn't installed there is no estimated date and it can't guarantee it will install soon. Hyperoptic says registering doesn't guarantee service. Hyperoptic also says its network can sit alongside other operators' networks in the same development.
• Consider mobile broadband as a stop-gap or second option. 4G and 5G home broadband uses a plug-in hub that connects to the mobile network instead of a cable, with no engineer needed. Speeds depend on the signal at your address, but it doesn't depend on which network the developer chose. Three's home broadband works this way, for example.