New rules for running fibre into buildings start on 1 September, and some installs have already slipped

If your business is waiting on a fibre connection into an office in a shared or multi-storey building, part of the rulebook governing that job changes on 1 September. Circular 02/2026 was published on 9 July and sets out directions under the Building Act 1984 that ease the building control burden on telecoms installation work. ISPreview reported on 30 August, two days before those directions take effect, that the transition itself has already moved some install dates in the wrong direction.

What the directions change

Two categories of work are covered. The first is drilling holes of 25mm or less in diameter in internal or external walls of existing buildings in order to install fibre optic cabling. The second is installing mobile communication masts on the rooftops of existing higher-risk buildings, which does not extend to installations on external walls. The fibre dispensation applies to higher-risk buildings and to other existing buildings; the mast dispensation applies to higher-risk buildings only.

They also have different lifespans. The fibre optic dispensations expire after three years. The mast dispensation is not time limited. That three-year cut-off is worth a note if you are planning a phased fit-out across several sites rather than a single install this autumn.

What has not been relaxed

The circular keeps a set of conditions firmly in place. Appropriate firestopping, weatherproofing and soundproofing must be carried out, and the firestopping and weatherproofing has to be completed on the same calendar day that any hole is made in the building. Whoever does the work has to demonstrate their skills, knowledge and experience through relevant training, with competence reviewed regularly. Prior written approval is required from the relevant person, and materials must conform to the relevant product standards. Where fibre drilling happens in a higher-risk building, the person carrying out the work has to notify the Building Safety Regulator as soon as is reasonably practicable after completion.

For a business having the work done, those conditions make a fair checklist to put to whoever quotes for it. Same-day firestopping is the one to ask about out loud, because it is the condition most likely to get squeezed on a job that runs late in the afternoon.

Why some installs have moved

The changes exist to reduce delays, which is what makes the early feedback awkward. ISPreview reported on 30 August that industry feedback pointed at additional consent and assurance requirements in the new process causing delays of their own, with a number of Openreach installs due within days pushed back by weeks. It was not clear whether that was affecting all such installs in England or only a subset.

Openreach treats this as short-term adaptation. Its spokesperson told ISPreview the company had been working with government and industry on the changes for several months and had reviewed what they mean for its operations, that it was awaiting further guidance from government and the Building Safety Regulator which may bring further clarifications, and that it did not expect major disruption for customers, communications providers, managing agents or delivery partners, though some elements of its activity may be temporarily affected while the updated processes are put in place. It also underlined that the changes are not happening because current ways of working are unsafe.

What to do if you are waiting on a connection

Three practical moves. Ask your provider directly whether your install sits in a building affected by the new process, because the answer tells you whether a date is firm or provisional right now. Do not cease an existing line until the new one is live and tested, which is standard advice and gets ignored under deadline pressure more often than anyone likes to admit. And if that connection is what your phones and card payments run over, put a fallback in place that does not depend on the install landing on time, which for most businesses means 4G backup on the router rather than a plan to cope.

If you are moving premises, add the contingency to the lead time rather than to the price. A fibre date that slips by three weeks is an inconvenience while the old office is still open, and a serious problem once it is not.