How long does fiber installation take?
Securing fiber internet can be quite a thrilling process of upgrading your internet service connection, which offers incredible speeds and stability. But, the time it takes to install the program is relatively long. The general period, in this case, depends on several factors that will be discussed in this article.
Location Matters
It can take one week to install fiber in an urban area where there is high available infrastructure while it may take three weeks in a rural area where there is little to no available infrastructure. This suggests that installation in urban areas is usually very fast while in rural areas it normally takes crews a longer time to lay fiber lines.
In an urban area, the total installation time as we speak now could be anything between one to two weeks from the time you order until the installer arrives. Suburban areas for hotels may require a lead time of 2-4 weeks on average. Areas where infrastructure requires more, development could take 1-3 months are total to go live with fiber internet.
The reason for these location differences comes down to the work complexity involved
Urban – Typically, there is typically abundant fiber backbone in most buildings and houses a stone’s throw away. Short distances for making terminal connections.
Suburban – More cable lengths are required to develop more infrastructure for connection to fiber lines but most of the cable lengths to connect to fiber lines are relatively short.
Rural – Hundreds of cables that may be needed to connect the numerous houses that are situated far away. A considerable number of construction activities for new poles, and conduits among others.
Therefore right from the onset, there are significant variations depending on where a person lives in terms of standard installation times. Fiber installation gives urban residents a super-fast turnaround experience while rural folks must schedule themselves a few days in advance.
In-Home Installation vs. Build-Out
Fiber internet installation involves two primary phases - the network build-out and the in-home installation.
1. Network Build-Out – This refers to the development of the overall fiber infrastructure for example the process of placing fiber optics cables all over a particular neighborhood. It also includes the placement of access points such as on utility poles or in underground access boxes, where they may be required. The Network build-out phase deals with the gross work required before customers obtain distinct connections.
2. Indoor Wiring – The second part of this step includes a technician entering each home to link the fiber from an access point into the home. This deals with fixing cables inside, especially for cases like the media converter box or ONT modem, fixing WiFi routers, etc.
The network build-out often takes the longest of all the factors by a significant margin. This might require weeks or even months to execute several miles of fiber lines across a city or a rural country area. Thankfully the build-out is followed by a swift in-home installation. The tech visit could only consume 2-4 hours in your home to resolve the issue and make your connection functional.
So it is understood that when following total timelines overall, it is the backstage network construction that consumes a majority of the calendar days. The in-home hookup is made comparatively faster as compared to the tail end.
Other Variables Impacting Timelines
On top of your metropolitan vs. rural location and the stage of development, several other variables influence typical fiber installation timelines
- Permitting – Internet Providers must seek statutory clearances and permits from local governing bodies for large-scale deployment. The complex and large infrastructure projects take longer time to get permits than the short time needed for small projects.
- Cable fiber – This can be attributable to a shortage in the supply chain where things such as the fiber cable, media converter boxes, and even the poles used in setting up the network get out of stock. Lack results in the providers having to wait for some time to acquire the necessary items.
- Natural calamities – While constructing a building or a structure, disasters such as hurricanes, fires, floods, etc can either slow down or prolong the duration of installation in certain areas. The initial stages of construction remain highly risky.
- Existing internal and external contractor crews: ISPs have limited access to internal and external contractor crews for fiber deployment. Larger build-outs may need to happen in a more phased manner across neighborhoods as crews become available.
- Access Rights - Fiber providers may require legal access rights to cross over privately or government-owned land to install fiber via utility poles or dig trenches. They also require time These arrangements also take time.
So What’s Typical?
Given these factors that involve complex interactions, it is hard to set a specific timeline that can be used to evaluate all companies. That said, here are some ballpark ranges: That said, here are some ballpark ranges:
- Urban build-out + in-home install: 1 – 4 weeks
- Suburban build-out + in-home install: 4-12 weeks
- Rural build-out + in-home install: 8-24+weeks
The total time is highly related to the status of which phase a neighborhood is in - whereas if the new cables are yet to be placed underground or simply linking up the fiber to the houses.
However, it is possible to expect that the timeline from the point of fiber order submission till the moment when a given point is ready for use may take from 1 to 6 months in most cases. Another feature characteristic of the rural areas and the remote regions is longer time horizons. Thus, it is likely that urban subscribers occupy somewhere within the faster 30% of the range.
Tracking Build-Out Progress
The best way to monitor build-out timelines is if you maintain communication with your ISP, this is the most accurate approach.
Many providers provide online tools such as the map where current network development strategies over the cities and towns are depicted. It provides information as to the coverage of existing fiber and areas that may be covered shortly.
You can also call your ISP at any time to inquire about changes that may be occurring concerning the area we live in. The representatives can view further information regarding the construction plan and the phases at the moment. This helps to understand how far one is from functionality and what exactly is required to get there.
Last of all, take initiative which may be embodied by looking for progress physically. Go out for a drive or a walk in your area in search of early signs such as stakes, painted lines, or small flags that suggest that fiber paths are being surveyed. Identifying real digging and putting conduits also points to substantive progress toward availability.
Indeed, fiber internet delivers amazing speed and excellent performance, but the process of getting there may take some time as installation processes take a relatively long time. This awareness of these key components assists in establishing reasonable local standards on generally expected timeframes. Despite this, if luck and the right circumstances fall in place, one could easily get connected in a short time. However, for most neighborhoods, plan for the overall process to last several days from the starting line to the last connectivity.
Upgrade to faster, more reliable AT&T Fiber Internet today! Call us at +1 844-905-5002 and get connected with speeds that keep you ahead.
