We’d like to inform you of a new Openreach process coming into effect on 1 June 2025, which will impact how appointed orders (those requiring a site visit by an Openreach engineer) are managed for Openreach SoGEA and FTTP services.
What’s changing?
Openreach is introducing a new Business Standard installation process that defines a minimum ‘Appointment Type’ required based on the type of premise — either residential or non-residential (i.e. business) — using Ordnance Survey classification data.
This process applies only to appointed Openreach orders for SoGEA and FTTP.
Key details
From 1 June 2025, appointed orders (i.e. those requiring a site visit by an Openreach engineer) submitted with an Appointment Type below the required minimum (and where no exemption applies) will be returned to you before the order can progress to Committed status.
The minimum Appointment Type for residential premises will be ‘Standard’, and the minimum Appointment Type for business premises will be ‘Premium’.
Why the change?
Openreach analysis has shown that for business premises, orders are often submitted with a ‘Standard’ Appointment Type. However, once engineers arrive on site, they find that the work required exceeds what is included in a Standard Appointment Type. This results in incomplete installations, follow-up appointments, delays, and added cost.
The new process aims to reduce these issues by ensuring that the correct minimum Appointment Type is used from the outset, enabling engineers to complete more jobs on their first visit, delivering a better customer experience and lower overall cost.
Pricing update
In preparation for this new Business Standard process, we implemented revised pricing for Appointments to support you and reduce the overall cost of installation where premium or advanced installs are required.
Check your Metis Pricing page for more information. The relevant services are:
- Zen FTTP Premium Site Visit
- Zen Advanced Install (SOGEA/ FTTP)
Please note they are charged in addition to the standard install fee.
Help page update
We have also updated our help pages to reflect the new appointment process:
Contact our support team for more information by emailing connections@pack-net.co.uk or calling 0161 660 2350.
Thanks for reading,
Packnet Team
