How we chose
We started from the aerial and satellite installers Google Maps shows across Telford. Scheme memberships were sourced from the CAI installer finder, each firm's own website and directory platforms [1]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place — for aerial work there is no mandatory register, so that check passes with nothing to enforce. Four firms met all three. What customers say counts most toward the score, then qualifications, then trading history and cover, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated September 2026.
How to hire
Start with the job in front of you. A rooftop or loft aerial brings Freeview, a dish brings Freesat or Sky, and several Telford firms also cover TV wall mounting, extra points, CCTV, networking, home cinema and Starlink installation. Most Telford homes take their Freeview signal from The Wrekin transmitter, which serves Telford and the surrounding towns [4]. When you first enquire, give your postcode, say which rooms need a signal, and say whether you want an aerial, a dish or both.
Ask which transmitter and aerial group the installer plans to use, and why. The Wrekin broadcasts on Group K with horizontal polarisation, and most modern wideband aerials receive it, though fringe or black-spot streets may need a high-gain aerial with careful alignment [4]. A loft aerial costs less because nobody climbs the roof, but it only suits strong-signal streets — a good installer says so before quoting. If your picture breaks up in wind or heavy rain, say so in your enquiry.
Check trade membership before you book. Search the CAI installer finder by postcode for the business name and confirm what comes back matches the firm you are hiring [1]. Badges claimed on a profile or van prove nothing on their own: if a firm claims RDI registration, ask for the membership details in writing. Membership is voluntary in this trade, with no mandatory register to fall back on, which is why the written quote and the insurance note matter so much.
Most dishes and aerials need no planning permission, sitting within permitted development rights subject to size limits [3]. The exceptions matter more than the rule. Flats share the building's allowance, so check with the other residents or landlord before adding yours, and consider a shared system [3]. Listed buildings need separate consent for anything affecting their character, and rules tighten in conservation areas and other designated areas [3]. If you rent, get the landlord's permission in writing first.
Get two or three itemised written quotes on the same written scope, so you compare like with like [6]. Each quote should separate labour, materials and VAT, and name the aerial or dish type, the pole and bracket, cable runs and TV points, how roof access will be handled, the start date, the guarantee length and payment stages. A deposit for materials is normal, while full payment before completion is not. Treat an outlier far above or below the rest as a question rather than a bargain.
Roof work is where aerial jobs differ from most indoor trades. Ask how the installer will reach the chimney or gable safely, and confirm the price covers the access equipment rather than discovering an extra charge later. Height, chimney condition, long cable runs, cable chased into walls and extra TV points all move the price. Agree what changes the price if the installer finds rotten brackets or perished cable once up the ladder.
When the work is done, check every promised channel tunes in on every point before you pay the balance. Take the itemised invoice and the guarantee terms in writing, with the firm's name, address and phone number on the paper, and file them with your house papers [6]. Agree a return visit in writing if the signal drops in bad weather within the guarantee period. If anything feels rushed or unfinished, pause the job and settle it before the balance leaves your account.
Pricing
As of summer 2026, rough national ranges run like this: a full outdoor aerial system £200–£300, a loft system £90–£150, an extra TV socket £70–£150, a straight aerial replacement around £125, and a satellite dish installation £150–£200 before VAT, with a Freesat receiver around £145 on top [2]. Repairs typically land between £85 and £165 [2]. Against those guides, CRT Aerials publishes a short Telford menu — fitted digital aerials, Freesat dish installations and extra TV points at fixed prices, with free local surveys — which sits below the national averages.
Access moves the price most: chimney and high-gable work costs more than a simple fascia mount, and hard-to-reach roofs take longer [2]. The aerial type comes next — a standard wideband for a strong-signal street costs less than a high-gain fringe-area install with careful alignment — alongside cable length, the number of points, whether cable is chased into walls, and travel and parking [2]. Ask the price of adding a future point while the ladders are already up.
Ask whether every figure includes VAT. Checkatrade's ranges are quoted plus VAT [2], and the standard rate is 20% [5] — enough to turn a £300 quote into £360. Firms in this round mostly quote on application rather than publishing menus, so treat any single fixed price for a large job with no breakdown as a question, not an answer.
Get the scope in writing before work starts: exactly which aerial or dish, which points and cable runs, how the cable enters the house, what the guarantee covers and for how long, and what changes the price if the roof throws up worse than expected. Agree payment stages and keep every quote, invoice and guarantee together [6].
Red flags
Quotes a rooftop aerial or dish job without visiting, asking for photos, or checking which transmitter serves your street. [4]
Cannot name the aerial group or transmitter they plan to align to when you ask. [4]
Gives one fixed price for a multi-point or whole-house job with no breakdown of labour, materials and VAT. [2]
Will not put the scope, price, start date and guarantee length in writing before lifting a ladder. [6]
Asks for full payment in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms. [6]
Dismisses a weak-signal or awkward-access problem instead of explaining the fix and what it adds to the price.
Leaves the old aerial, brackets or a dead dish on the roof without agreeing it with you first.
Cannot show any insurance detail when asked, or brushes the question aside.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.