GuideNetwork · 6 min
We still have copper lines. How do we upgrade to fiber?
Find out which sites can get fiber and when, move the data lines first, and put the lines that can't move (alarms, elevators, fax) on a POTS replacement.
The Clectiv team ·
A copper line is an old phone-company wire, and fiber carries far more. The upgrade has two halves: the data lines that move to fiber, and the lines that were never data at all. Plan both, site by site.
Which of our sites can actually get fiber?#
It depends on the address, and every site lands in one of three situations. Which one decides how soon, and what you ask the carrier.
| Situation | What it means | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Already lit | Fiber already reaches the building, and service can be switched on | The install date, in writing |
| Short build | The carrier runs new fiber from its nearest line to your door | Is the build in the price, and what's the date? |
| Long build | The nearest fiber is far away, or the route is hard | Will the carrier build at all, and what covers you meanwhile? |
Each carrier has its own map. A site one carrier can't reach may be lit by another. Ask one carrier and you get one carrier's answer.
Fiber comes in two main kinds. Dedicated internet (DIA) is a line only your site uses, at a set speed, with a service guarantee. Business broadband shares the carrier's capacity with other customers.
AT&T, Verizon, Lumen, Zayo, Lightpath, Comcast Business and Spectrum all sell fiber to businesses. All of them are network providers we work with, and Clectiv AI runs the process for you: start a project.
Before you call anyone#
Give Clectiv AI the address of every site that still runs on copper. Then Clectiv AI runs the process, the providers that fit compete with bids of their own, and you choose. Call one carrier first and you learn only what its map allows, on its schedule.
What happens to the lines that aren't phones?#
They move to a POTS replacement. POTS is plain old telephone service, the copper dial-tone line. Fire alarm panels, elevator phones, security panels, door entry and fax machines are often still on it. A POTS replacement is a device at the site that gives that equipment a dial tone over another connection.
Granite and Ooma sell POTS replacement for these lines. They're among the network providers we work with, and Clectiv AI runs the process with them on your behalf: start a project.
That's a road we've traveled. Clectiv AI runs the process we've run for other customers, so you start where they finished. It takes the plan straight to these providers for the best pricing, terms and contract we can get.
These lines are easy to miss because nobody calls on them. Find them four ways:
- Ask facilities which equipment dials out.
- Ask your alarm and elevator companies.
- Check the carrier bill for lines nobody recognizes.
- Look for a fax number in every office.
List every one with Clectiv AI: the site, the line, and what's plugged into it.
Alarm and elevator lines protect people, so ask more of the replacement. Is it approved for that use? Who signs off, and what happens in a power cut?
If your carrier has sent you a notice about a copper line, get the lines and the date in writing.
What will carriers do, and what won't they?#
Each carrier answers for its own fiber. It quotes its own build and its own date, and it won't tell you a competitor's fiber is closer. That's why the plan goes to all of them at once.
Every fiber proposal should answer four things for every site:
- Is it lit, a short build or a long build?
- Is construction in the price, or on top?
- What date is committed, and what do you get if it slips?
- What happens to the copper line, and the lines that aren't data?
The plan asks the rest, from speed and the service guarantee to who handles the move.
One hint: when a build is needed, ask each carrier to include the construction in the monthly price. The proposals show who will.
Move the data lines first, and keep the copper until the fiber is installed and tested. Then cancel it in writing.
Common questions#
How do we know if fiber reaches a site?#
What does a POTS replacement actually replace?#
Do we have to pay for fiber construction?#
Should we keep the copper line until fiber is running?#
What's the difference between dedicated internet and business broadband?#
How does Clectiv AI get this done?#
Begin in Clectiv AI. Tell it where your copper lines are. It scopes the upgrade with you and writes your plan: every site, the lines it has, what each one needs, and which lines can't move to fiber.
Then the Clectiv team takes your plan to the fiber and POTS replacement providers that fit, all at once, through our partner network of 620+ providers. The bids come back side by side as the providers compete, the team pushes on terms, and you choose.
Others finished what you're starting. Clectiv AI runs the process we built with them, so you start where they ended up. The plan reaches the providers that fit directly, for the best pricing, terms and contract we can get.
It's free to you, and you have answers in days, not months. The rest of what we source in network is on the network page.
Dozens of carriers behind those lines? Read how to consolidate network carriers.
Sources and method. No prices appear in this guide. No timelines, construction costs or install times appear either. Provider names are examples of who sells fiber and POTS replacement, from Clectiv's provider directory, not a ranking.