Networks
The network in the basement
Some fibre never goes up the street. It goes up the riser. If the building is not on the list, the brand is a rumour.
14 min read · Networks
The British fantasy of broadband is a street. A cabinet, a pavement, a van. Hyperoptic and its cousins grew up in a different landscape: new towers, converted warehouses, the insides of buildings that already had a landlord, a riser, and a thousand small arguments about drilling. The unit of coverage is the block.
Check the block
A postcode can contain a live tower and a walk-up that has never seen the operator. Our mock file treats Hyperoptic and Community Fibre as networks that appear on some London addresses and not others. That is the correct shape even when the file is labelled mock. Do not order a building network because the borough is fashionable.
The wayleave is the product. The megabits are what you get if the wayleave exists.
The riser is the cabinet
On a street network you argue about a pavement. In a tower you argue about a cupboard. If the operator is in the basement and not on your floor, you are not covered. If they need a wayleave the freeholder will not sign, you are not covered. Postcode checkers that paint a whole EC1 as live are doing marketing.
| Building-led | Street-led | |
|---|---|---|
| Unit of coverage | Block / riser | Premises passed along a trench |
| Usual delay | Wayleave, landlord, frame | Duct, streetworks, drop |
| Neighbour test | Unreliable across blocks | Unreliable across the road too |
Floors, not postcodes
A live Hyperoptic postcode can skip your floor because the riser stopped, the wayleave stalled, or the cupboard key never appeared. London overbuild is a building sport. Ask the agent, ask which floors are lit, put the cupboard on the order. A neighbour on floor 3 is not your checker.
Questions
- Why can the flat upstairs get Hyperoptic and I cannot?
- Different building, different riser, different wayleave, or a floor the install has not reached. Building-led fibre is that precise.
- Do I need the freeholder’s permission?
- Often the operator already has a wayleave. If they do not, your order becomes a legal project. Ask before you give notice elsewhere.
- Is Community Fibre the same idea?
- In London, often yes: own-build full fibre, street and building mix. Still not Openreach.
- Can I switch to them from Openreach without an engineer?
- Unlikely. It is a different physical network. Budget a visit.
- The building is listed on their map but checkout fails.
- Maps lag risers. Ask them which cores are live. A listing is not an ONT.
- Can the freeholder refuse forever?
- They can refuse a wayleave. You then have other networks, or a long argument at the AGM. Neither is a comparison-site problem.
Sources
- Hyperoptic coverage model
- Community Fibre building notes
Figures move. Prices, coverage and eligibility must be confirmed with the provider. OneTouchSwitch is not Ofcom, TOTSCo or a broadband network. Last fact-checked 10 September 2026.
Continue in this issue
Home
14 min read · Home
Home
Full fibre in flats: permissions, wayleaves and installation
A house is a door. A flat is a building. Fibre has to be allowed through someone else’s wall. That permission has a name, and it is why Tuesday slipped to next month.
Cover story
18 min read · Cover
Cover story
Three fibres on one street
Britain’s full-fibre build is no longer a promise on a slide. It is a street-level fact — and in many postcodes, more than one network is already at the door.
Networks
14 min read · Networks
Networks
CityFibre is not a retailer
Several logos, one trench. If the street is CityFibre, you are choosing a retailer on someone else’s fibre — and that is a different job from choosing Openreach.
Practical guides