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Mid-market insurance
Telecoms and network infrastructure insurance is a programme combining technology PI for design and managed services with contractor cover for installation, street works and working at height. It matters because most firms carry both risks at once.
Part of: IT and technology business insurance
In short
Telecoms and network infrastructure companies usually need technology PI for design, configuration and managed services, and public liability for physical installation. Fibre and civils work adds underground services risk and street works qualification requirements; mast and rooftop work adds working at height. Contract works, plant and tools, employers' liability and cyber complete the programme. Client contract terms shape PI exposure, and insurers ask about working heights, excavation depths and subcontractor controls. A broker can split turnover by activity and match each activity to the right cover.
A telecoms or network infrastructure company usually needs two sets of cover that are often bought separately: technology PI or errors and omissions for design, configuration and managed services, and contractor style liability and property cover for physical installation work. Cyber, employers' liability, contract works, tools and plant, and motor fleet complete the programme.
The mix depends on the business model. An IT comms installer fitting structured cabling in offices has a very different profile from a fibre contractor digging in the highway, or a unified communications provider running hosted voice for thousands of users. Many mid-market firms do all three. Our IT and technology business insurance hub covers the technology side in general.
| Activity | Main exposure | Usual cover |
|---|---|---|
| Network design and consultancy | Design error causing client financial loss | Technology PI or E&O |
| Managed and hosted services | Outage, misconfiguration, data loss, SLA failure | Technology PI with cyber, contractual liability review |
| Cabling and installation | Injury, third party property damage, damage to existing services | Public and products liability |
| Fibre and civils | Strikes on utilities, damage to highway, injury to public | Public liability with underground services wording; contract works |
| Masts, rooftops and towers | Falls, dropped objects, structural damage | Employers' and public liability; work at height declared |
| Equipment supply | Faulty hardware supplied or installed | Products liability; supplier contracts |
Gaps tend to open where activities overlap. A firm that designs a network and installs it can face a single claim with both a professional and a physical element.
Technology PI, often called tech E&O, responds to claims that services or advice fell short and caused a client financial loss. Where services are supplied in the course of business, section 13 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 implies a term that they will be carried out with reasonable care and skill. For network businesses, the triggers are usually outages, configuration errors, failed migrations and breaches of service levels. Our pages on technology errors and omissions and managed service providers insurance set out the detail.
Two points matter most for mid-market providers. First, contract terms: service credits, liability caps and indemnities in client contracts directly affect what a PI policy will be asked to pay. See insurance requirements in IT contracts. Second, the boundary with cyber. A misconfiguration that exposes client data can trigger both PI and cyber, and many firms buy a combined tech PI and cyber policy to avoid disputes over which responds.
Physical work in clients' premises and public spaces creates injury and property damage exposure. For civils and fibre work, damage to underground cables and pipes is one of the most frequent claims, and some policies apply higher excesses or conditions about locating services before digging. Our page on network cabling installer insurance covers the installer side.
GOV.UK guidance on street works qualifications in England says the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 requires a qualified operative on site at all times while street works are in progress, and supervision by a person with a prescribed supervisor qualification. Certificates last five years from the certification date. Insurers commonly ask how qualifications are tracked, especially where subcontractors are used. Scotland has separate regulations.
Mast, tower, rooftop and ceiling void work is regulated by the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The HSE explains that duty holders must assess the risks and that work must be properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people. Maximum working heights are a standard underwriting question, and undeclared tower work can affect cover, subject to the policy terms.
Larger installation projects may need contractors all risks cover for the works until handover, particularly where the contract makes you responsible for them. Owned and hired plant, such as excavators, cable blowing rigs, splicing equipment and access platforms, need plant and equipment cover, and hired plant brings its own conditions. Test equipment and high value tools carried in vans are often better on an all risks basis than under a general contents section.
Cyber is a core cover for providers with privileged remote access to client networks, since an attack on the provider can spread to clients. Our cyber insurance guide and what cyber underwriters ask a mid-sized IT company explain how insurers assess this.
These examples are illustrative and do not describe any real business or claim.
Example 1: a fibre strike. A contractor laying ducting strikes a water main despite using plans. The road floods and nearby shops close for two days. Public liability may respond to third party damage and losses, subject to underground services conditions and the excess.
Example 2: a hosted voice outage. A configuration change by a UC provider takes down inbound calls for a contact centre client for a day. The client claims lost revenue. Technology PI is the likely policy, and the contract's liability cap will shape the outcome.
Example 3: a rooftop fall. An engineer fitting antennas on a commercial roof falls through a fragile skylight. Employers' liability is engaged, and the HSE may investigate. Planning, competence and equipment records will be central.
Before renewal, split turnover by activity, gather client contract terms, list plant and tools, record qualifications and working at height controls, and review cyber controls. Our guides for mid-sized IT companies and telecoms providers cover related points, and enterprise client insurance requirements explains what large buyers ask for.
Apex arranges insurance for telecoms and network infrastructure companies; a broker reads every enquiry.
If they design networks, specify equipment, configure systems or provide managed services, usually yes. Public liability covers injury and property damage from installation work, but not financial loss caused by a design or configuration error. Clients and main contractors increasingly ask for both PI and public liability at stated limits.
It can, subject to the policy terms. Many contractor policies cover damage to underground services but apply conditions, such as checking plans and using detection equipment before excavating, and may carry a higher excess for these claims. Failure to follow the conditions can affect cover, so check the wording.
GOV.UK guidance for England says the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 requires a qualified operative on site at all times during street works, with supervision by someone holding a prescribed supervisor qualification. Certificates last five years from the certification date. Scotland has its own regulations, so check the rules for each nation you work in.
It depends on the cause and the policies. An outage caused by your error that leaves a client with financial losses is usually a tech PI matter. An outage caused by a cyber attack may involve cyber cover for your own losses and PI or cyber liability for client claims. A combined policy can reduce gaps.
Send us your current schedules or renewal pack and we will review the whole programme and tell you plainly what to keep and what to change. No fee and no obligation. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Book a programme review Get a quoteApex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.
