Legal 500, Fleet Street: fibre backbone renewal and Wi-Fi 7 upgrade
A Wi-Fi survey exposed a fibre backbone renewal Legal 500 didn’t know it needed, delivered inside a single ten-day shutdown.
Legal 500 (Legalease) asked ACCL to survey Wi-Fi at its 188 Fleet Street office ahead of a planned 10 Gigabit upgrade. The survey found the fibre backbone couldn’t carry it, so ACCL delivered a full fibre backbone renewal, Cat6a cabling and Wi-Fi 7 upgrade inside a single ten-day maintenance shutdown.
The result
ACCL delivered a complete fibre, cabling and wireless upgrade within a fixed ten-day shutdown. The completed project provided Legal 500 with:
- A new distribution cabinet on every floor
- One team accountable for the whole project
- A full operations and maintenance manual
- A 25-year system warranty
- A fibre backbone ready for 10 Gigabit
- Full Wi-Fi 7 coverage across all six storeys
- Structured Cat6a cabling rated to CPR Euroclass B2ca
- Fluke-certified copper, ISO-certified fibre
Services delivered
Overview
Legal 500 (Legalease) asked ACCL to carry out a wireless survey of its offices at 188 Fleet Street, ahead of a planned upgrade to a 10 Gigabit network. The Ekahau survey found that the building’s existing fibre backbone could not support the bandwidth the client needed, so the scope of the project expanded from a wireless refresh into a full fibre, cabling and Wi-Fi 7 upgrade.
The entire project, from fibre backbone to the final access point, was delivered inside a single ten-day maintenance shutdown, with a full operations and maintenance manual and a 25-year system warranty handed over on completion.
The challenge
188 Fleet Street is a six-storey building with a high-specification interior of marble and plasterboard finishes, and access panels are limited throughout. The building’s risers do not run through every floor, which meant the link between the basement and the ground floor reception had to be routed through the loading bay instead of a conventional vertical route.
With the client’s planned 10 Gigabit network in mind, the existing fibre backbone was found to be inadequate, so the project scope extended to a full fibre renewal alongside the wireless upgrade. All of this had to be completed inside a fixed ten-day maintenance shutdown.
- A six-storey building with a high-specification marble and plasterboard interior
- Limited access panels throughout the building
- Risers that do not run through every floor
- An existing fibre backbone unable to support the client’s planned 10 Gigabit network
- A fixed ten-day maintenance shutdown
Project context
Legal publishing & rankings · 188 Fleet Street, City of London
Structured cabling for commercial offices →Planning a fibre or Wi-Fi upgrade in a live building?
ACCL surveyed the fibre as thoroughly as the wireless network at 188 Fleet Street, flagged the shortfall before any equipment was ordered, and delivered the full upgrade inside a single ten-day shutdown. Talk to the team that surveys first.
ACCL’s fibre backbone renewal solution
ACCL replaced the inadequate backbone with 8-core tight-buffered OM4 fibre, terminated to new LC patch panels. A new distribution cabinet was installed on every floor, each linking back to the main comms room on the second floor. Because the building’s risers did not run through every level, the basement to reception link was routed through the loading bay instead.
New Cat6a cabling, rated to CPR Euroclass B2ca (BS EN 50575), was installed throughout, with two outlets run to every access point location. Twenty-six Ubiquiti Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) access points were then installed to the positions identified by the Ekahau survey model, connected to a new 24-port Ubiquiti switch.
Two parallel teams worked through the shutdown, one on fibre and one on copper, completing roughly two floors a day. The copper cabling was installed and tested before any access point was mounted, so each floor’s wireless network could be commissioned as soon as its cabling was signed off.
On completion, ACCL handed over a full operations and maintenance manual and registered a 25-year system warranty on the installation.
Technologies used
ACCL’s role
This project required considerably more than fitting new access points. ACCL provided Legal 500 with a complete infrastructure upgrade, including:
- Ekahau wireless survey
- Fibre backbone assessment and design
- New LC patch panel termination
- Per-floor distribution cabinet installation
- Cat6a B2ca cabling installation
- New 24-port switch installation
- Full testing and certification
- Operations and maintenance manual handover
- Supply and installation of 8-core OM4 fibre backbone
- Supply and installation of 26 Wi-Fi 7 access points
- Delivery inside a fixed ten-day shutdown
Explore related ACCL services
Related guidance
Foreword by Wayne
“Legal 500 asked us to survey their Wi-Fi. We came back and told them their fibre backbone would not carry the network they were planning, which is not what anyone wants to hear about a building they thought was ready. But that is the survey doing its job. We would rather find the problem on a laptop before the shutdown starts than find it halfway up a riser with four days left on the clock. Twenty-six access points, a new fibre backbone and every floor recabled in ten days is only possible because nobody had to guess.”Wayne Connor, Managing Director, ACCL
“We commissioned a Wi-Fi survey and installation of new fibre and Cat6 cabling to support a new Wi-Fi installation from ACCL in July and August 2026. ACCL were superb from start to finish. We cannot fault the quality of the work and we received great advice on our project. Very satisfied customer!”Andrew Matthews, Legal 500
Frequently asked questions
Why did a Wi-Fi survey turn into a full fibre and cabling upgrade?
The Ekahau wireless survey found that the existing fibre backbone at 188 Fleet Street could not support the 10 Gigabit network Legal 500 was planning. Rather than fit new access points onto an inadequate backbone, ACCL expanded the scope to include a full fibre and Cat6a cabling renewal.
How long did the Legal 500 upgrade take?
The entire project, fibre backbone, cabling and 26 Wi-Fi 7 access points, was delivered inside a single ten-day maintenance shutdown.
How many Wi-Fi 7 access points were installed?
Twenty-six Ubiquiti Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) access points were installed across all six storeys, positioned according to the Ekahau survey model and connected to a new 24-port Ubiquiti switch.
What fibre backbone was installed at 188 Fleet Street?
ACCL installed an 8-core tight-buffered OM4 fibre backbone, terminated to new LC patch panels, with a distribution cabinet on every floor linking back to the main comms room on the second floor.
How did ACCL work around the building’s limited risers?
188 Fleet Street’s risers do not run through every floor, so the link between the basement and the ground floor reception was routed through the loading bay instead of a conventional vertical route.
What cabling standard was used for the copper network?
New Cat6a cabling rated to CPR Euroclass B2ca (BS EN 50575) was installed throughout, with two outlets run to every access point location.
Did the project cause any disruption to Legal 500’s operations?
No. The entire fibre, cabling and wireless upgrade was completed inside a fixed ten-day maintenance shutdown, with two parallel teams working on fibre and copper to keep the programme on schedule.
What warranty and documentation did Legal 500 receive?
ACCL handed over a full operations and maintenance manual and registered a 25-year system warranty on the completed installation.
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