Short answer your question on downgrading is extremely unlikely. There are a very few edge case exceptions none of which seems to apply here. Not liking where the ONT is located is not one of them.
Long answer
1. Is the engineer correct about only drilling from inside?
Partly yes — but it’s not an absolute rule.
For Openreach residential FTTP, the standard installation rules are:
✔️ Internal drilling is preferred
✔️ Drilling should avoid hidden services (gas, electric, water)
✔️ The installer must be able to safely see and control the drill path
However:
❌ There is no blanket ban on drilling from outside
❌ The ladder holes are not comparable — they’re shallow fixings, not service penetrations
✔️ External-to-internal drilling is allowed when safe access and visibility are available
Why engineers often refuse anyway
In practice, many engineers won’t drill from outside because:
They cannot see internal services
It increases personal liability if they strike wiring or pipework
Their job is time-limited and audited
Failed installs affect their performance metrics
So what you were told is likely a simplified version of a risk-avoidance policy, not a hard technical prohibition.
In short:
👉 Another engineer might well have done it differently.
2. Why the routing they used doesn’t justify reversion to copper
Even if the engineer made a questionable judgement, Openreach’s position is:
FTTP was successfully installed
The ONT location meets minimum compliance
The service is live
That means:
The copper broadband path is considered withdrawn
VDSL is no longer a supported product at your address
Convenience, aesthetics, or alternative routing arguments do not qualify for reversion
This is true even if:
The copper socket is in a “better” place
The FTTP route is objectively worse
The engineer could have done it differently
Openreach’s systems simply do not allow a downgrade order once FTTP is live.
3. Can you force a relocation using this argument?
Possibly — but only via installation quality, not preference.
You have a case if you argue the following, carefully:
The engineer refused a viable, compliant install route
The refusal was based on an incorrect absolute claim (“not allowed at all”)
The resulting ONT position is impractical for normal use
What helps:
Photos of:
The desired location
The actual ONT location
The routing used
A calm, factual complaint via your ISP:
“Installer misapplied Openreach rules”
“Alternative compliant route was refused”
“Request remedial visit”
What hurts your case:
Asking for VDSL instead
Saying “we prefer copper”
Arguing speed or cost
4. Why reverting to copper still won’t happen (even here)
Even if Openreach accepted:
“Yes, the install could have been better”
They would respond with:
Relocation or remedial work
Not copper reactivation
Copper broadband is being actively withdrawn; reopening it creates:
Records conflicts
Regulatory issues
Future forced migrations anyway
So reverting is considered regressive and non-compliant, not a remedy.
5. Your realistic best path forward
Best chance (potentially free)
Raise a formal installation-quality complaint via your ISP
Focus on:
Incorrect application of drilling rules
Refusal to consider a compliant route
Ask for a remedial visit / second engineer assessment
Guaranteed fix (paid)
Pay for an ONT relocation
Or leave the ONT and run Ethernet internally
Dead end
Requesting VDSL reactivation
❌Bottom line
The engineer’s statement was over-simplified
Another engineer might have installed it where you wanted
That still does not make copper reversion an option
Your leverage is complaint + remedial relocation, not downgrade
Hth
You can check out but you can never leave ( easily)
