Frontier Fiber for New Construction Homes

Building a new home gives you a rare opportunity: the chance to have fiber-optic internet infrastructure designed into your house from the ground up. Instead of retrofitting fiber after the fact, you can have conduit, wiring, and equipment placement optimized for the best possible internet experience.

This guide walks you through how to get Frontier Fiber installed during new home construction, including timelines, builder coordination, ONT placement considerations, and how to make your new home truly fiber-ready.

Why Plan for Frontier Fiber During Construction

Installing fiber during construction is significantly easier and less expensive than adding it to a finished home. During the build, contractors can run fiber conduit through walls and under foundations before drywall goes up. The ONT (Optical Network Terminal) can be placed in an ideal location rather than wherever is convenient. And you avoid the disruption of post-construction trenching, drilling, and wall fishing that retrofit installations require.

A fiber-ready home also has tangible resale value. According to industry research, homes with fiber internet access can command higher sale prices and attract buyers faster. As remote work continues to grow, a robust internet infrastructure is no longer a luxury -- it is a selling point. Visit our Frontier Fiber hub for more details on available plans.

Frontier's Builder Partnership Program

Frontier works with homebuilders across its service area to bring fiber to new developments. The partnership typically works like this:

For Planned Developments and Subdivisions

When a developer plans a new community, they can contact Frontier's builder solutions team to negotiate a fiber deployment agreement. Frontier will extend fiber infrastructure to the development, install conduit and fiber drops to each lot, and coordinate the installation timeline with the construction schedule. In many cases, Frontier covers the cost of running fiber to the development in exchange for being a preferred or available provider.

For Individual Custom Homes

If you are building a single custom home on an existing lot, the process depends on whether Frontier Fiber is already available on your street. If it is, you simply need to schedule the fiber drop to your property and coordinate ONT installation with your builder's timeline. If fiber is not on your street yet, you will need to request a service extension, which may involve construction fees depending on the distance from the nearest fiber node.

In either case, start by calling 1-855-981-6281 to verify availability at your construction address and learn about any builder-specific programs in your area.

Timeline: When to Contact Frontier During Your Build

Timing is critical when coordinating fiber installation with new construction. Here is a recommended timeline:

The most common mistake homeowners make is waiting too long to contact Frontier. If you reach out after drywall is installed, you lose the ability to run conduit through walls cleanly and may end up with visible wiring or exterior-mounted equipment.

ONT Placement: Getting It Right the First Time

The ONT is the box that converts the fiber-optic signal into an Ethernet connection your router can use. In new construction, you have the luxury of choosing the optimal location:

• Garage or utility room -- The most common and recommended location. It is out of sight, protected from weather, and easy for technicians to access.
• Basement or mechanical room -- Ideal if you plan to run structured wiring throughout the house, since this gives a central distribution point.
• Media closet or server room -- For tech-forward homes with dedicated network infrastructure, placing the ONT alongside your router, switch, and patch panel keeps everything organized.
• Avoid exterior walls in extreme climates -- While exterior ONT mounting works fine in moderate climates, extreme heat or cold can affect equipment longevity.

Coordinate the ONT location with your builder and electrician. The ONT needs a standard electrical outlet within 6 feet and should be near where your main network equipment will live. Check Frontier Fiber installation details for equipment specifications.

Pre-Wiring Your New Home for Maximum Performance

Since walls are open during construction, this is the time to install structured wiring that will serve your connectivity needs for decades. Here is what to consider beyond the basic fiber drop:

Recommended Pre-Wiring

Run Cat6a Ethernet cables from a central location to every room where you might want a wired connection -- home offices, entertainment centers, and bedrooms. Install conduit (not just cables) so you can pull new cables later without opening walls. Place ceiling-mounted Ethernet drops in hallways for future Wi-Fi access points. And consider running fiber-optic cable between floors for even more future-proofing.

Smart Home Considerations

With Frontier Fiber's symmetrical speeds, your new home can support dozens of smart devices simultaneously. Plan for wired connections to security cameras, smart hubs, and entertainment systems. Wireless devices like smart thermostats and voice assistants work fine over Wi-Fi, but bandwidth-heavy devices like 4K security cameras benefit from wired connections. Frontier's 1 Gig and 2 Gig plans provide more than enough bandwidth for even the most connected homes.

Fiber-Ready Homes: What Builders Should Know

If you are working with a builder, here are the key items to communicate about fiber readiness:

1. Conduit from the lot line to the ONT location -- At minimum, a 1-inch conduit from the property boundary to the planned ONT position.
2. Interior conduit pathways -- From the ONT location to key rooms, installed during framing.
3. Electrical outlet at ONT location -- Standard 120V outlet within 6 feet of the planned ONT mount.
4. Wall space for equipment -- A 2x2 foot section of wall space near the ONT for mounting network equipment.
5. Coordination with Frontier's construction team -- Schedule a site visit during the rough-in phase so Frontier can verify the installation path.

Many national builders like Lennar, DR Horton, and Toll Brothers already have fiber partnerships and include this infrastructure by default. Ask your builder whether your community is already set up for Frontier Fiber.

Costs and What to Expect

For homes in areas where Frontier Fiber is already deployed to the street, there is typically no construction fee for the fiber drop to your property. The standard installation fee applies, and Frontier frequently runs promotions that waive this fee entirely.

If fiber needs to be extended to reach your property, costs depend on the distance. Frontier evaluates each request individually. For custom homes on rural or semi-rural lots, extension fees can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars depending on the required construction. Call 1-855-981-6281 for a specific cost estimate for your property.

The pre-wiring costs (structured cabling, conduit, etc.) are typically handled by your electrician and are separate from Frontier's charges. Budget roughly $1,500-$4,000 for comprehensive structured wiring in a typical new home, depending on size and number of drops.

New Construction Neighborhoods with Frontier Fiber

Frontier has been aggressively expanding its fiber network, particularly in new developments across Texas, California, Florida, and the Northeast. New construction communities are a priority because installing fiber during development is far more cost-effective than trenching through established neighborhoods.

To find out if your planned community will have Frontier Fiber, check the Frontier coverage map or speak with the community's sales office. Many builders feature internet availability as a selling point in their marketing materials. You can also compare providers by address once your lot has an assigned street address.