How to plan connectivity for an office move

Office moves get planned around removals, furniture and the lease itself in enormous detail — and connectivity, one of the things a business can least afford to be without even briefly, is often the item that gets the least advance planning of all.

The gap most businesses don’t see coming

A new premises rarely has an existing internet connection ready and waiting, and installing a fresh line can take considerably longer than most people expect — sometimes several weeks, depending on what infrastructure already exists at the new address. Businesses that only start the process once the move date is confirmed often end up with a genuine, costly gap in service right when they can least afford one.

Start the connectivity conversation as soon as the new address is confirmed

The moment a lease is signed or a moving date is set, that’s the moment to start the connectivity process too — not a task to slot in during the final fortnight alongside everything else. Lead times for new lines are the single biggest reason office-move connectivity gaps happen, and they’re entirely avoidable with early planning.

Check what’s actually available at the new address first

Availability and speed differ from address to address, sometimes significantly even between buildings on the same street. Before assuming your current broadband or leased line setup can simply move with you, check what’s genuinely achievable at the new site — it may be better, it may need a different approach entirely.

Plan an overlap rather than a hard cutover

Where possible, arranging service at the new site to go live before the old site’s connection is disconnected avoids any gap entirely — a short period running both is a small cost against the risk of being offline mid-move, when phones, payment systems and email all need to keep working.

Don’t forget phone numbers and call routing

If your business runs on VoIP, moving is usually straightforward — numbers and call routing move with the system rather than being tied to a physical line, so customers calling in notice no difference at all. This is one of several practical reasons an office move is a natural moment to move off a traditional phone line if you haven’t already.

A simple office move connectivity timeline

As soon as the move date is set: start the new-site connectivity process. Several weeks before: confirm installation date and any overlap period. One week before: test the new connection is genuinely live and working. Moving day: cut over with both connections available as a safety net. After the move: confirm everything, including phones, is working exactly as expected.

Planning your move without the connectivity gap

If you’ve got an office move coming up, get in touch as early as possible and we’ll build a connectivity timeline that avoids any gap in service.