Openreach asks business customers to help plan fiber installs
A proof of concept called ‘Walk the Route’ will use images captured by customers to judge site readiness before engineers arrive, with the copper phone network’s retirement less than four months away
- Trial length: three months from around November 2026, ISPreview reports
- Scope: selected orders in London and the Home Counties, according to ISPreview
- PSTN switch-off: 31 January 2027, with roughly 350,000 business premises still connected in July (Openreach)
- WLR basic rental: up 40% in July 2026 and another 40% in October 2026 (Openreach)
For businesses in the trial area ordering Premium fiber, some of the site checks an engineer would normally make on the day shift to the customer’s own images, according to ISPreview’s account of the scope. Where the images are usable, a blocked duct or an awkward entry point can come to light while the job is still being planned rather than at installation. The public summary of the briefing does not say whether the approach will extend beyond the proof of concept.
“using customer captured images to improve site readiness and installation planning for eligible Business FTTP orders”Openreach, briefing GEN075/26 to communications providers
Openreach told communications providers on 14 October that it will test ‘Walk the Route’, a proof of concept in which business customers photograph their own premises so engineers can plan full-fiber (FTTP) installations before arriving.
The test arrives in the final months of Openreach’s copper phone network. In July the company said about 1.5 million lines were still on the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and it has been raising the price of the wholesale line rental (WLR) product that keeps many of them running.
The full briefing, GEN075/26, sits behind Openreach’s provider portal. ISPreview reports that, on feedback it has seen, the trial covers only Premium FTTP provisions, the costlier business product. It also expects some AI assistance, with customers using audio, photos and video to record where the fiber should run, where it enters the building and where the optical network terminal (ONT) will sit.
In theory, ISPreview says, that could mean fewer engineer visits and quicker installs, with the gain depending on how well Openreach’s tools steer customers toward usable images.
Sources
- Openreach, “GEN075/26 FTTP Provision: ‘Walk the Route’ for business premises”, briefing to communications providers, 14 October 2026. https://www.openreach.co.uk/cpportal/updates/briefings/general-briefings/gen07526
- ISPreview, “Openreach test solution where UK business users help pre-plan fibre installs”, Mark Jackson, 14 October 2026. https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/10/openreach-test-solution-where-uk-business-users-help-pre-plan-fttp-installs.html
- Openreach, “Openreach warns businesses: just six months left before the UK’s old phone network is switched off”, press release, 31 July 2026. https://www.openreach.com/news/openreach-warns-businesses-just-six-months-left-before-the-uks-old-phone-network-is-switched-off/
