Leased line vs business broadband
How leased lines and business broadband differ on cost, contention, upload, SLAs, repair, availability and installation — and when each is the sensible choice.
Business broadband is shared, usually asymmetric and repaired on a best-efforts or basic-SLA basis; it is inexpensive and quick to install. A leased line is a dedicated, uncontended, usually symmetric circuit with a contracted SLA; it costs considerably more and takes longer to install. Neither is better in general — the right choice depends on what an outage costs you.
The short version
If losing your internet is merely inconvenient, good business broadband may well be enough. If losing it stops your business operating, a leased line — or broadband with a properly independent backup — is worth considering.
The rest of this page sets out the differences so you can make that call yourself.
Side by side
| Business broadband | Leased line | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A connection over the same local network as home broadband (FTTC or full fibre), sold on business terms. | A dedicated fibre circuit from your premises into a carrier’s network, used only by you. |
| Cost | Low monthly cost. Installation is usually cheap or free. | Several times the monthly cost of broadband. Installation can carry extra charges if new duct is needed. |
| Contention | Shared with other users, so speeds can dip at busy times. | Uncontended. The bandwidth is yours at all times. |
| Upload | Usually much lower than download. | Usually symmetric — the same in both directions. |
| SLA | Basic or best-efforts, with faster-repair options on some products. | Contracted availability and repair targets, typically measured in hours. |
| Repair | Usually by engineer appointment. Complex faults can take days. | Handled to the SLA, often around the clock depending on the product. |
| Availability | Very widely available, with full fibre coverage growing quickly. | Available to most business addresses, but cost and lead time depend on how close carrier fibre already is. |
| Installation | Days to a couple of weeks. | Commonly several weeks to a few months; longer where digging or a landlord’s permission is needed. |
| Resilience | A single connection. A backup has to be added separately. | A single circuit unless designed otherwise. Resilient designs add a diverse second circuit or an independent backup. |
| Typical fit | Small offices, shops, secondary sites, and anywhere an outage is an inconvenience. | Larger offices, warehouses, manufacturing, multi-site organisations, and anywhere an outage stops work. |
What the differences mean in practice
Contention
Speed tests are usually run at a quiet moment. What matters is the speed at ten on a Monday morning when every business nearby is busy. A leased line does not change with the time of day.
Upload
Most modern work sends as much as it receives — video calls, saving to the cloud, backups, CCTV, staff connecting in. On broadband, upload is usually the first thing to run out.
SLA and repair
An SLA does not stop faults happening. It sets how quickly they are fixed and what happens if they are not. For many businesses that is the real difference.
Lead time
A leased line is not something to order the week before you move in. Plan months ahead, and use broadband or mobile as an interim if you have to.
When business broadband is the sensible choice
For a small team using cloud email and a handful of web applications, where an outage means a slower afternoon rather than lost orders, business broadband — ideally full fibre — is good value. Adding a mobile backup router is often a better use of money than a leased line.
It is also frequently the right answer for secondary sites, home workers and temporary premises, even in organisations that run leased lines elsewhere.
When a leased line is the sensible choice
When your phones, your systems and your people all stop at once if the connection goes; when you upload as much as you download; when other sites connect back to a head office; or when you need a contract that says how quickly a fault will be fixed — that is when a leased line earns its cost.
And if an outage would be genuinely expensive, the question is not only leased line or broadband, but how the backup is designed. Our page on resilient business internet covers that.
Common questions
- Is full fibre (FTTP) broadband the same as a leased line?
- No. Both use fibre, but full fibre broadband is shared between customers on a local network and is usually asymmetric, while a leased line is a dedicated circuit. Full fibre is a big step up from copper broadband, and for many small businesses it is enough.
- Why is a leased line so much more expensive?
- You are paying for dedicated capacity, a dedicated fibre into your building, contracted repair targets and the engineering support behind them. Installation can cost more where new duct has to be built.
- What is an excess construction charge?
- A one-off charge some carriers apply when a leased line needs significant building work — digging, new duct or cabling — to reach your premises. It is identified at survey, before you are committed.
- Can we start on broadband and move to a leased line later?
- Yes, and it is a common path. Plan the move before the broadband contract renews, and order the line well ahead of when you need it.
Still not sure which you need?
Tell us how you use the connection and what an outage would cost. We will tell you honestly whether broadband is enough — and check what is actually available at your address.
Related
Dedicated business internet connection
Dedicated internet for businesses that stop when the connection does: uncontended, usually symmetric, SLA-backed, and managed by one team that owns the faults.
Resilient business internet and backup connectivity
Backup internet designed around what downtime costs you — primary and backup circuits, automatic failover, and routes that are genuinely independent of each other.
Alternatives to BT Business Broadband
When standard business broadband is no longer enough: the signs you have outgrown it, what to look at instead, and how dedicated, managed connectivity compares.
Alternatives to Virgin Media Business broadband
When Virgin Media Business broadband is no longer enough: why businesses look further, how a dedicated managed connection differs, and when to stay put.
Interested? Give us a call.
A question, a project or just support — reach the team on 0845 222 0100, or email sales@asptech.co.uk for new business and support@asptech.co.uk for help.