Ethernet Orders Faqs

What systems can I use to raise an order?
You can place an order using My BT Wholesale (Business Zone), Eco Plus or B2B. For details on how to place an order via My BT Wholesale, please visit our Transformed Ethernet Ordering page.
 

How do I get access to the ordering systems?

As a BT Wholesale customer you'll have a My Admin user that will grant you access to the relevant ordering systems. For more help, contact your account manager.

What do I need to do before I raise an order?

You'll need to provide us with the full details of the installation site. This includes company name and address and contact details for somebody on-site (for survey and engineering visits).

You'll also need to confirm that there is a power supply within 3m of the customer's comms rack and that a lease has been signed at the installation address. Landlord authorisation is also required.
 

What BT Wholesale Ethernet products are available?

For a conclusive list of Wholesale Ethernet products and options, please see the Product Handbook accessible via the Products and Services section on btwholesale.com or contact your account manager.

Etherway Fibre isn't available. What alternatives can I order?

Other products such as Etherway Copper (EFM), Superfast GEA and Radio are available. Please contact your account manager, who will be able to advise on availability and costs.

How do I raise a BT Wholesale Ethernet Order? 

You can learn how to place a BT Wholesale Ethernet Order as part of our online training or user guides. If you are using My BT Wholesale to enter your order, you can also click the 'Help' icon towards the top-right of the screen.
 

I want to raise a large number of orders, who do I contact? 

Please consult the Product Handbook accessible via the Products and Services section on btwholesale.com and contact your account manager.

The time taken will depend on the product you've ordered and the complexity of the installation. This is provided on completion of survey.

Etherway Fixed Fibre has a standard lead time of 33 working days to install. However, all order lead times are subject to survey and may vary depending on complexity of the delivery.

Please refer to the Product Handbook for more information.

You can choose to receive email updates, online notifications and/or a daily tracker report.

How often should I receive a BT Wholesale update?

We will keep you up to date throughout the provision of your order.
We'll send you an update one to two working days after each Openreach KCI and every five working days after KCI3.

There isn’t an update on my order, what do I do?

If you haven't received an update on your order, contact your Single Point of Contact (SPOC) via email or phone.

Details can be found in your Customer Service Plan (CSP).

What happens if an Engineer visit is required?

If an engineer needs to attend the installation site, our supplier will call or email the on-site contact you listed when you placed your order.

I missed the engineer appointment, what happens now?

If nobody is available to receive the engineer appointment during the times you provided when raising the order, then a missed appointment charge will be raised. The engineer visit will be suspended until you are able to provide us with a new time.

The engineer was delayed or couldn’t get access, what do I do?

If an engineer is delayed, our supplier will endeavour to make contact with the elected on-site contact to re-arrange a visit. This can take up to five working days.

Your Customer Service Plan (CSP) will provide you with information on how to escalate and expedite an order.

What is a Director of Service Office (DSO) and how do I raise one?

The Director of Service Office (DSO) is a process which may be triggered in some circumstances where Openreach have failed in an engineering commitment. It allows access to a dedicated Openreach team, who will resolve the ongoing issue.

To request a DSO, you will need to contact your account manager.

For more details, visit Openreach website, log in.

When can I cancel an order?

You can cancel an order at any time up until five working days after KCI3. After this, there will be a charge on cancellations.
 

What charges are applicable to cancelling an order?

If a cancellation is made five days after KCI3, a full connection charge will apply, as well as charges for any TRC/ECC work carried out by Openreach.

How do I cancel an order?

You can cancel an order via Eco Plus.

What is ‘Point of No Return’ (PONR)?

The point of no return is the stage at which your order can no longer be cancelled, altered or amended.

How do I cancel or amend an order that’s passed PONR?

Unfortunately this is not possible. You'll need to wait until the order has been completed, and then contact us to make any amendments.

What is an Openreach Survey?

An Openreach Survey is carried out to survey the installation site for your order. Openreach will either perform a Desktop Survey remotely or attend the installation site  depending on location and existing infrastructure.

How long does an Openreach survey take?

An Openreach Servey will take approximately eight working days to complete.

What is a test rod and tube?

A test rod and tube is used in surveys to check for blockages in underground ducts where fibre is thread. We use this to ensure there is a clear path for connection to your installation site.

What is a 'Wayleave'?

If the customer doesn’t own the property at the installation site or land where the fibre is being provided, landlord consent is required. This is provided through a Wayleave document. Without it, Openreach is unable to carry out the relevant work.
Obtaining a Wayleave document will be arranged between Openreach and the property's landlord.

What should I do if my order is delayed due to 'Wayleave'?

The management of this activity is dealt with by the Openreach Wayleave department and the landlord of the premises. BT Wholesale will keep you informed via regular updates.

What are 'Traffic Management', 'Civils' and 'Council Notice' delays, and how long should I expect the delay to be?

These occur when Openreach needs to access or amend infrastructure which is required to deliver service to the premises. A notice request will be sent to the Council by Openreach to request permission for the work to be carried out at the required location.

If Council noticing is required for Traffic Management (for example, if work is being carried out underneath a road or pavement), then this may add a minimum of 21 working days to the completion of your order.

What should I do if my order is delayed due to 'Traffic Management' issues?

Unfortunately there's nothing you can do to hurry this process along, as it's in the hands of the local council. But we'll keep you informed via regular updates.

How do I check the status of a Traffic Management delay?
BT Wholesale will provide you with a Council Notice reference, which can be checked on Highway.org.

What is infrastructure build and how does it affect my order?

This is one of the final Openreach activities. It takes place once all infrastructure build has completed.

An Openreach engineer will attend the site and conduct a physical connectivity test from the installation site to the Point of Presence in the exchange.

What is a fit and test and what happens during a fit and test?

This is one of the final Openreach activities. It takes place once all infrastructure build has completed. An Openreach engineer will attend the site and conduct a physical connectivity test from the installation site to the Point of Presence in the exchange.

How quickly can I expect my order to be completed following the fit and test?
Once Openreach have completed their fit & test, they will pass the order to their Service Fulfilment Unit (SFU) for final configuration and remote test. The order delivery will then be completed on their system, and the service will be handed over to us at BT Wholesale.

What is an Openreach handover?

This is the confirmation that installation of the EAD element (the physical connection) has been completed by Openreach. It contains information about the speed and delivery location of the connection, including room, rack and slot at the customer premises.

What is a Managed Network Service Diagnostic Fallout (MNSD) fallout and how does it affect an order?

An MNSD Fallout is the term used for an issue that arises out of a final test before completing your order.
Once BT Wholesale has received the Openreach handover, we'll progress your order through our final end-to-end test. If there are no problems in this final test, the order will complete and close and you will receive a final Handover from BT Wholesale.

If an issue is encountered during this final test, an MNSD Fallout will occur. This will be picked up by the BT Wholesale commissioning team for investigation and diagnosis. We will keep you updated on progress of this. The BT Wholesale handover will not be sent to you until we've cleared the problem and can confidently provide you with a fully functioning service.

What is a bridge case or ASG intervention, and how does it affect my order?
If BT Wholesale encounters a system issue with your order, we will raise a "bridge case" fault with our system support team for investigation and resolution.

We'll keep you updated on progress and resolution. The BT Wholesale handover will not be sent to you until we've cleared the problem and can confidently provide you with a fully functioning service.

What is a BT Wholesale handover and what does it contain?
This is the confirmation that installation of the EAD element (the physical connection) has been completed by Openreach, and that BT Wholesale has completed an end-to-end test of the service without any faults arising.

The handover document contains information about the speed and delivery location of the connection, including room, rack and slot at the customer premises. This will be sent to the KCI contact given when you placed the order.

How quickly should I receive my Etherflow handover?
You'll usually receive the Etherflow handover document around 24 hours after a successful end-to-end test has been completed by BT Wholesale.

What should I do if I don’t receive the Etherflow handover in the timescales given?
Contact your owning Single Point of Contact (SPOC) via email or phone. Details can be found in your Customer Service Plan.