Moving Offices? Order the Circuit Before You Order the Furniture.
A new building or office move is where telecom goes wrong quietly. What to ask before the lease, what to inventory at the old site, 911 and copper lines, porting numbers, and a bridge if the fiber is late.
Rings Jonathan and the team 24x7.
400+ carriers and platforms, compared.
The short version
- The internet install date at a new building is set by the carrier, not by your move date. Find out before the lease is signed whether the building is already lit and by whom.
- Moving does not end your contracts. Pull every term end date at the old site first, then decide what relocates and what gets cancelled.
- Port phone numbers after the new service is tested, never before. Keep the old line live until calls ring at the new desk.
- Fire panels, elevators, alarms and the 911 location move too. They are the items that get forgotten, and the ones an inspector asks about.
- If the fiber runs late, a 5G bridge keeps the office working. Plan it in advance instead of buying it in a panic the Friday before.
The furniture shows up. The internet doesn't.
Most office moves get planned around the lease, the build-out and the movers. Telecom gets a line on the project plan that says “IT handles internet.” Then someone calls the carrier six weeks out and learns the building isn’t on their network, construction needs a permit, and the landlord has to sign off on a path into the building. The move date doesn’t change. The install date does.
Nobody did anything wrong there. Carriers quote and build on their own schedule, and every address is different. Two buildings on the same street can have very different options, which is why one address gets a different quote than the next. The fix is to ask the right questions early, while you still have leverage on the lease and time to compete the carriers.
This is a big part of what Buckeye does. We’ve been an independent advisor since 2003. The advisory fee is $0 because the carrier pays us, and the contract stays in your name. We check what each of 400+ carriers can actually deliver at the new address, and we stay on it until the phones ring in the new space.
Four questions to ask about the building first
Your landlord or broker can answer some of these. A carrier check answers the rest. All four change the timeline.
Is it already lit, and by whom?
A building with fiber already in it can be a short install. One that needs construction can take months. Ask which carriers are on-net at that exact address, not in that part of town.
Who controls the path in?
Riser space, the telecom room, the demarc and any conduit to the street usually belong to the landlord. Find out who signs the access paperwork and how long that takes in this building.
Can you get two different carriers in?
If the site matters, a second carrier on a different physical path is what keeps it up when a backhoe hits the first one. It is much easier to plan before the walls close.
Will the build-out allow for it?
Cabling, the network closet, power and cooling for the gear. If the space plan doesn’t include a real closet, someone will put the router on a shelf in the break room.
What to pull from the old site before anyone cancels anything
Every row here is something we’ve seen missed. One sheet, one owner.
Circuits and term dates
Every internet, private line and SD-WAN circuit, with its contract end date. Some agreements let you relocate and carry the term. Others charge early termination. Know which before you call.
Phone numbers and porting
Main lines, direct dials, toll-free and fax. Get the current account details so the port request matches. Port after the new service tests clean, not before.
The 911 location
Multi-line phone systems are expected to send a dispatchable location with a 911 call, down to the floor or suite where it matters. Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’S Act are the federal rules. Update it before people start working there.
Fire panel, elevator, alarm, fax
These often still ride on copper lines. They have to be moved or replaced on purpose. Our fire panel post covers what has to be in place before inspection.
Network gear and Wi-Fi
Firewalls, switches and access points. Decide what moves, what gets replaced, and who configures it for the new circuit before move week, not during.
Anything billing that nobody uses
A move is a good time to catch lines and services still being billed at the old site after everyone leaves. A bill audit finds those fast.
The order that keeps the phones ringing
The dates depend on the building and the carrier. The order doesn’t.
Before the lease
Check which carriers serve the address and roughly how long each would take. Put any construction need in front of the landlord now.
Lease signed
Compete the carriers and order the primary circuit right away. Order the second path or the 5G bridge at the same time if the site can’t go dark.
Before move week
Circuit installed and tested. Network gear configured. 911 location updated. Copper life-safety lines moved or replaced and checked.
Move week and after
Port the numbers once the new service is proven. Keep the old site live a little longer than feels necessary. Cancel old services in writing and watch the next two bills.
How Buckeye runs the telecom side of a move
Independent advisor since 2003, based in Sugar Grove, Ohio. Midwest sweet spot, worldwide quoting. We carry no products and no delivery team. Advisory fee is $0. The carrier or platform pays us when you sign. You hold the contract in your name.
Find the waste
Every circuit, number, copper line and contract at the old site goes on one sheet with its end date. What can relocate, what should end, and what nobody is using anymore.
Make carriers compete
We check what each carrier can actually deliver at the new address and how long it will take, then put the quotes side by side. Carriers pay us different rates, usually within a couple of points, and we show you what each one pays.
Stay accountable
We chase install dates, coordinate the port, and stay on it through move week and the first real week in the new space. Moves, adds and changes after that come to us too.
Questions we get about moves
How early should we start telecom for an office move?
Does moving let us out of our current carrier contract?
When should we port our phone numbers?
What happens to 911 when we move?
What if the fiber is not ready on move day?
What does Buckeye charge to manage the telecom side of a move?
Related
Why does this address get a different quote?
Same company, same speed, different building. What changes the price and the install date.
Read → Cost controlYour carrier auto-renews in 90 days.
Term dates at the old site decide what a move costs you. Read them first.
Read → ComplianceYour fire panel still needs a line.
The copper lines that have to move with you, and what replaces them.
Read → NetworkingWhat working failover actually looks like.
A second path that really is separate, so one cut doesn’t take the site down.
Read →Moving soon? Thirty minutes now saves a dark office later.
Send us the new address. We’ll tell you who can serve it and how long it should take. No deck, no obligation. Advisory fee is $0.
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