How long does it take AT&T to install fiber?

Posted on: 07 Aug 2024

Discover how long AT&T fiber installation takes. Expect 4-6 hours for new customers

After you request for the AT&T fiber internet to be installed in your home, it can take from several days to several weeks depending on the location and the demand of the service at that given time. Here is an overview of the AT&T fiber installation process and what you can expect regarding timelines

Pre-Installation Steps

Before installation can begin, there are a few preliminary steps that need to happen first

Evaluate service openness – The first step should be to determine whether the AT&T fiber internet is even available in your location. You can also try this out on the AT&T website and this will help you determine their availability and enroll with them.
Placing an order - After signing up for the service, AT&T will place one and coordinate for a site visit to finalize the connectivity of your home to the fiber network. This usually takes one to three business days depending on the specific type of credit check conducted by the credit reference agency.
Permitting – If there are permits from the city or the county necessary for stringing fiber out to your property or the street, AT&T will get those. Another factor that can slow down the process can be the period of permitting that can take several days or several weeks.
Equipment Delivery – starting with fiber gateway and/or WiFi router, AT&T will send it to you beforehand to ensure you have it before installing the fiber line. Equipment delivery usually ranges from 2 to 5 business days depending on the availability of the equipment with our suppliers.

Installation Appointment

After the availability is verified and all prerequisites are met, the AT&T technician will arrive at your location to install a fiber optic cable and equipment. This usually takes 7-10 business days, so to speak, from the time we complete the order, although this may differ slightly from country to country.

The installation day, an AT&T technician will come to your house, pull in a fiber optic cable from outside your house and activate your equipment. As for appointments, they usually last approximately between 2-5 hours. You will be thrilled to know that the tech will run your speeds and ensure everything is okay before leaving.

Post Installation

It will take 1-3 days after the tech leaves just to have your connection provisioned and activated at AT&T Customer Service. It could slow down during this time so you might want to avoid this time of the day to access the site. Some of these may include, porting your phone number which can also affect the amount of time before the services are fully operational.

In total:

Availability check and order placement: This is one to three days and is used for all forms of severe skin reactions that are not solely caused by staphylococcal organisms.
Permitting and equipment delivery: Usually up to 2 weeks if the permission applies and is granted.
Installation appointment: 7-10 DAYS OUT
Post-installation provisioning: It takes 1-3 days to create and distribute YouTube videos.

So the total time frame may vary from the period of 10 days to 1 month based on the permits to be obtained, the availability of the appointments in the area and other activation steps if any. Rural areas are also characterized by a more extended waiting time since there are few technicians compared to those in the urban area, and since the installation process is complicated.

Speeding Up the Process

If you need AT&T fiber internet installed faster, here are some useful tips

If someone tells you it’s not available and you are able to check availability often then do it. New areas are constantly being added to the system.
At the request of AT&T, do not be rigid on the dates and times of installation. Appointments in the earlier half are usually received earlier than the ones in the later half.
Ensure that all the permitting and access matter are dealt with beforehand (in the case for apartments, condos, gated communities, etc). This prevents delays.
If it appears your order or appointment might be delayed, then do not hesitate to contact AT&T support. They can monitor systems and report any problem or complication.
Temporary Internet options, such as LTE/5G wireless, may also be considered if the Internet connection is needed for a shorter period.

However, any wait time is usual, but not much; contacting AT&T support if things are taking a one or two orders of magnitude longer than described above should help. Another important feature is also the flexibility and the response to any issues connected with access and, thus, avoiding possible delays during AT&T fiber installation. Therefore allow a few weeks however do not feel hesitate to connect with support if your service is not live still after 4-6 weeks total.