If you’re building homes in the UK today, broadband isn’t just a nice extra. It’s a selling point that can make or break a buyer’s decision. Remote working, smart home technology, and streaming services have turned fast, reliable internet into something people expect from the moment they pick up the keys.
Yet many developers still treat broadband as an afterthought, bolting it on during the final stages of a project. That approach costs time, money, and buyer satisfaction. The best developers treat connectivity as a core utility, right alongside electricity, water, and gas.
This guide walks you through everything you need to know about choosing, planning, and installing broadband across your property developments. Whether you’re working on a handful of houses or a large-scale residential estate, you’ll find practical advice here to help you get it right.
Broadband Demands for Modern Property Developments
Buyer expectations around broadband have shifted dramatically over the past decade. According to Ofcom’s 2023 UK Home Broadband Performance report, the average UK household now uses around 453 GB of data per month, a figure that continues to climb year on year. People are working from home, attending video calls, gaming online, and running multiple connected devices simultaneously.
For property developers, this means a standard copper phone line delivering 10-20 Mbps simply won’t satisfy modern buyers. Many people now check broadband availability before they even book a viewing. If your development can’t offer speeds that support a household of heavy internet users, you risk losing sales to competing developments that can.
The demand is particularly strong in family homes and executive-style properties, where multiple occupants may be streaming, gaming, and working from home at the same time. A four-bedroom house with two remote workers, a teenager in online school, and a smart home system needs a connection that won’t buckle under pressure.
Beyond buyer expectations, regulations are catching up too. Building Regulations Part R, introduced in 2022, requires developers to install gigabit-capable infrastructure in all new homes in England. This means the physical ducting and connections that support high-speed broadband must be part of your build from the outset, not retrofitted later.
Types of Broadband for New Builds
Not all broadband technologies are equal, and the type you choose for your development will depend on location, budget, and the infrastructure already available nearby. Here’s a breakdown of the main options.
Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC)
FTTC uses fibre optic cable to reach a street cabinet, then relies on existing copper wiring for the final stretch to each property. It typically delivers speeds of 30-80 Mbps. While this is adequate for light usage, it falls short for households with heavy demands. FTTC is becoming outdated for new builds, and choosing it could leave your development looking behind the curve within a few years.
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP)
FTTP runs fibre optic cable directly into each home, removing the copper bottleneck entirely. Speeds range from 100 Mbps to over 1 Gbps, depending on the provider and package. This is the gold standard for new developments and the technology most aligned with Part R requirements.
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
FWA delivers broadband via radio signals from a nearby mast. It can reach speeds of 30-80 Mbps, sometimes more with 5G-based services. This option works well for rural developments where running fibre cable isn’t cost-effective, though it’s generally considered a secondary choice compared to FTTP.
Full Fibre Leased Lines
For mixed-use developments that include commercial units or shared workspaces, a leased line offers a dedicated, symmetric connection with guaranteed speeds. These are more expensive but deliver consistent performance with service-level agreements (SLAs) that cover uptime and repair times.
For the vast majority of residential new builds, FTTP is the clear winner. It gives buyers the speeds they want now and the capacity they’ll need for years to come.
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) for Developers
FTTP deserves a closer look because it’s the connection type that will add the most value to your projects. Here’s what you need to know about how it works in a development context.
How FTTP Works
A fibre optic cable runs from the nearest exchange or distribution point directly into each property. Unlike copper, fibre uses light to transmit data, which means it doesn’t degrade over distance and can carry far more information. The result is download speeds that can exceed 1 Gbps and upload speeds that are significantly faster than anything copper can deliver.
Why FTTP Matters for Developers
From a sales perspective, FTTP is a genuine differentiator. A 2022 study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) found that access to full fibre broadband could add up to 3.8% to the value of a UK property. On a £300,000 home, that’s a potential uplift of over £11,000. Across a development of 50 homes, the numbers become very compelling.
Buyers increasingly look for FTTP when house-hunting. Comparison tools on sites like Ofcom’s broadband checker and provider websites make it easy for people to verify what’s available at any given postcode. If your development shows up with gigabit-capable connections while a nearby competitor offers only FTTC, you hold a significant advantage.
The Installation Process
For new builds, FTTP installation is far simpler than retrofitting existing properties. Your contractor lays ducting and internal cabling during the build phase, and the broadband provider connects the fibre at the appropriate stage. Most major providers, including Openreach, CityFibre, and several alternative network operators (altnets), have dedicated new-build teams that handle this process.
The key is engaging with providers early. Ideally, you should be in conversation with at least one broadband provider before you break ground. This ensures the network design aligns with your site layout and build schedule.
Working with Broadband Providers: Key Considerations
Choosing the right broadband provider for your development involves more than picking the biggest name. Here are the factors you should weigh up.
Openreach vs. Alternative Network Operators
Openreach is the UK’s largest broadband infrastructure provider and serves the majority of new-build developments. Their New Sites programme handles FTTP installations for developments of all sizes, and their network supports a wide range of retail providers, giving your buyers plenty of choice when selecting their broadband package.
Alternative network operators like CityFibre, Hyperoptic, and Gigaclear offer competing FTTP networks in certain areas. These providers often deliver competitive pricing and may offer faster installation timelines for smaller developments. The trade-off is that buyers may have fewer retail provider options compared to an Openreach connection.
Questions to Ask Providers
Before committing to a broadband partner, make sure you get clear answers on:
– Lead times: How far in advance do they need to start planning? Most providers require 6-12 months’ notice for new developments.
– Costs: Who pays for the infrastructure? Some providers install FTTP at no cost to the developer for larger sites, while smaller developments may involve a contribution.
– Coverage: Does the provider already have infrastructure near your site, or will they need to build from scratch?
– Buyer choice: How many retail internet service providers (ISPs) can operate over their network?
– Support: What ongoing support do they offer during and after the build?
Multiple Provider Strategies
Some developers choose to work with more than one network provider, giving buyers a choice of infrastructure from day one. This approach is more common on larger developments and can be a strong selling point, though it requires careful coordination during the ducting and cabling phase.
Planning and Installation: A Developer’s Guide
Getting broadband right requires early planning and close coordination with your build schedule. Here’s a step-by-step overview of how to approach it.
Step 1: Engage Early
Contact broadband providers during the pre-planning or early design stage. For Openreach, you can register your development through their new sites portal, which lets you submit site details and begin the design process. Other providers have similar registration systems.
Step 2: Site Survey and Network Design
The provider will carry out a site survey and produce a network design that maps out how fibre will reach each plot. This design needs to align with your site layout, road plans, and utility routes. Any changes to the site layout after this stage can cause delays, so aim to have your plans as finalised as possible before the survey.
Step 3: Ducting Installation
During the groundworks phase, your contractor installs the ducting that will carry fibre cables. This typically includes spine ducting along main routes and lead-in ducting to individual plots. The provider will supply specifications for duct sizes, depths, and chamber locations. Getting this right first time avoids expensive remedial work later.
Step 4: Fibre Installation and Testing
Once ducting is complete and properties are at the right stage of construction, the provider installs and tests the fibre connections. This usually happens when properties have reached first fix or later, depending on the provider’s requirements.
Step 5: Activation
When a buyer moves in and chooses their ISP, the connection is activated remotely. If everything has been installed correctly, this process is quick and painless, often taking just a day or two.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
– Starting conversations with providers too late, leading to delays at handover
– Failing to install ducting to the correct specification, requiring costly rework
– Not coordinating broadband ducting with other utility installations
– Ignoring Part R requirements, which can cause issues with building control sign-off
Cost-Benefit Analysis of High-Speed Broadband
The financial case for installing FTTP in your developments is strong when you look at the full picture.
Installation Costs
For developments of around 30 or more homes, Openreach typically installs FTTP at no direct cost to the developer through their fibre community partnership schemes. For smaller developments, there may be a per-plot contribution, which varies depending on the distance from existing infrastructure. Costs from alternative providers vary, but many offer competitive terms to win new-build contracts.
Your main costs as a developer are the ducting and internal cabling, which your contractor handles as part of the standard groundworks and first fix stages. These costs are relatively modest compared to other utilities. Budget around £300-£500 per plot for ducting materials and labour as a rough guide, though this varies by site complexity.
Value Added to Properties
As mentioned, research by the CEBR suggests full fibre can add up to 3.8% to property values. Even a more conservative estimate of 1-2% represents a healthy return on the relatively small investment in broadband infrastructure.
Beyond direct value uplift, fast broadband speeds up sales. Properties on developments with confirmed FTTP connections tend to sell faster because buyers don’t need to worry about internet quality. In a competitive market, that speed advantage matters.
Avoiding Retrofit Costs
Installing broadband infrastructure during the build is dramatically cheaper than retrofitting it later. Digging up driveways, gardens, and roads to lay ducting after completion can cost thousands per property and causes significant disruption. Planning broadband from the start avoids this scenario entirely.
Future-Proofing Your Developments with Connectivity
Technology moves quickly, and the homes you build today need to serve their occupants well for decades. FTTP is the most future-proof broadband technology currently available because fibre optic cable has an almost unlimited capacity for speed upgrades. The speeds your buyers get today are limited by the electronics at each end of the cable, not by the cable itself. As those electronics improve, speeds increase without any changes to the physical infrastructure.
This matters because data consumption is rising at roughly 20-30% per year. A connection that feels fast today may feel average in five years and slow in ten. By installing FTTP now, you’re giving your buyers a connection that will keep pace with demand for the foreseeable future.
Smart Home Readiness
More buyers are adopting smart home technology, from connected heating systems and security cameras to voice assistants and smart lighting. These devices all need reliable internet, and many benefit from fast upload speeds for cloud-based monitoring and control. FTTP handles these demands comfortably, while older technologies can struggle as the number of connected devices grows.
Infrastructure for Electric Vehicle Charging
While not directly a broadband issue, it’s worth noting that smart EV chargers rely on internet connectivity to manage charging schedules, energy tariffs, and load balancing. A strong broadband connection supports these systems and adds another layer of future-readiness to your development.
Wi-Fi Design Considerations
Installing fibre to the front door is only half the story. Buyers also expect strong Wi-Fi throughout their homes. While Wi-Fi setup is ultimately the buyer’s responsibility, you can help by considering router placement during the design phase. Placing the broadband termination point centrally in the home rather than by the front door gives buyers a much better starting point for whole-home coverage. Some developers are going a step further by pre-installing structured cabling or Wi-Fi access points, particularly in premium developments.
Case Studies: Successful Broadband Integration
Large-Scale Residential Estates
Several major UK housebuilders have made FTTP standard across all their new developments. Taylor Wimpey, for example, has worked with Openreach to deliver gigabit-capable connections across its sites nationwide. This approach simplifies the build process because broadband planning becomes a standard part of every project rather than a site-by-site decision. Buyers receive marketing materials highlighting the broadband capability as a key feature, and sales teams report that connectivity is one of the most frequently asked questions during viewings.
Rural Developments
In areas where Openreach’s network doesn’t reach, developers have partnered with rural-focused providers like Gigaclear to bring full fibre to sites that might otherwise be limited to slow connections. One example involves a development of 15 homes in rural Oxfordshire where the developer worked with Gigaclear to extend their network to the site. The cost was shared between the developer and the provider, and the result was gigabit-capable broadband in an area where existing properties nearby were limited to under 10 Mbps. This became a powerful selling point for the development.
Mixed-Use Developments
Developments that combine residential and commercial space have unique broadband needs. A project in Manchester’s Northern Quarter installed both residential FTTP and commercial-grade leased lines within the same building, using shared ducting but separate network equipment. This gave residential buyers fast home broadband while offering commercial tenants the guaranteed speeds and SLAs they needed for business operations. The dual approach added complexity during planning but delivered a more attractive proposition for both buyer types.
Where to Go from Here
Broadband is no longer optional for property developers. It’s a regulated requirement, a buyer expectation, and a genuine value driver. The developers who get it right treat broadband as a first-class utility, plan it early, choose the right technology, and work closely with providers throughout the build process.
Start by registering your next development with Openreach’s new sites team or an alternative provider in your area. Review the Building Regulations Part R guidance to make sure you’re meeting your legal obligations. And factor broadband into your marketing because buyers notice, and they care.
The investment is modest, the returns are real, and the risk of getting it wrong is one no developer should take in today’s market.
