Business Leased Lines for Small Businesses

Most small businesses run well on good business broadband, but for some a leased line is worth the extra cost. Here's what a leased line is, how it differs from broadband, and how to tell whether your business needs one.

What Is a Leased Line?

A leased line, also called dedicated internet access, is a private connection that runs only to your business. Nobody else shares it, so you get the same speed at 3am as in the middle of a busy Monday, and the upload speed matches the download speed.

Leased Line or Business Broadband?

• Dedicated or shared — a leased line is yours alone, while broadband is shared with other users and can slow down at busy times.
• Upload speed — leased lines are symmetrical, whereas FTTC and FTTP broadband are usually much faster to download than to upload.
• Guarantees — leased lines usually come with guaranteed uptime and fix times, while broadband is typically best effort.
• Cost — a leased line costs more, so it needs to earn its keep.

When a Leased Line Makes Sense

• Upload matters as much as download — large file transfers, cloud backups or hosting your own services.
• Downtime is costly — if an outage stops you trading, a guaranteed fix time is worth paying for.
• You have several sites — leased lines are often used to link offices together privately.
• Lots of simultaneous calls or video meetings — where shared bandwidth dropping at peak times would be a real problem.

If none of those apply, good FTTP business broadband is usually enough. Our business broadband quotes page explains the options, and adding a backup connection is often a cheaper way to protect against outages.

How Plustel Fits In

Plustel has a strategic partnership with a leading UK ISP, so our accredited partners can offer everything from SoGEA and full-fibre FTTP broadband through to leased lines. As with all our services, we work entirely through accredited partners rather than selling directly, so getting a quote means being connected with a partner who can check availability at your address.

For a fuller comparison, read our leased lines vs business broadband guide. Otherwise, get in touch below and we'll connect you with a partner.