Leased lines have traditionally reigned when it comes to speed, reliability and service levels. Now, with providers offering similar speeds through the fibre network, businesses can compare between FTTP and leased lines to see which suits their needs best.
Find out why FTTP is becoming a rival to traditional leased lines, and how you can use our FTTP checker to find the best deals at your location.
Fibre to the Premises (or FTTP) is a way of connecting your business to the internet that’s faster and more reliable than ADSL or Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC).
FTTP connections use fibre cables for the whole route, which means there’s no slowdown when they reach the exchange cabinet. As a result, you can enjoy faster upload and download speeds than with FTTC broadband.
For many businesses, as long as the broadband is fast enough and reliable enough, business will tick along smoothly. Some companies, however, require a connection that offers even greater speeds and more reliability at busy times.
Traditionally, businesses looking for speed and reliability would invest in the installation of a leased line. A leased line is a dedicated connection to the internet, where it’s delivered to your premises only. This type of connection allows you to specify the speed you want, up to 1Gbps upload and download. It’s this flexibility and ability to rely heavily on the connection that attracts many businesses to a leased line.
These days, advances in technology mean that you can now find similar speeds through FTTP connections. This positions FTTP as a real rival to leased lines, especially for small businesses and those who want to keep their business running costs as low as possible.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways that FTTP is a challenger to leased lines.
Leased lines have traditionally held the top spot when it comes to upload and download speed. Thanks to their symmetric upload and download speeds and dedicated traffic, leased lines have remained a popular choice for businesses that need both speed and reliability.
However, things are changing. You can now find download speeds of 500Mbps and 1Gbps with FTTP, meaning that superfast speeds are no longer exclusive to leased lines. The caveat here is that a leased line serves your premises only, whereas with FTTP you’ll be sharing a connection with several other users.
The introduction of faster speeds from some FTTP providers creates a real opportunity for businesses that live in an area where FTTP is available. There’s now an alternative to investing in a leased line, which is great news for small businesses especially.
One of the major differences between FTTP and leased lines is the pricing. Here, FTTP takes the edge over a traditional leased line – offering similar speeds at around 20 per cent of the cost.
For example, you can currently sign up for a 100Mbps Ultrafast broadband connection (FTTP) with BT Business from £60 per month. The monthly running costs of a BT Business leased line at the same speed start at £317 per month.
If you don’t need the detailed service level agreement (SLA) or the uncontended bandwidth that comes with a leased line, an FTTP connection could give you everything you need at a more affordable price.
In the past, access to FTTP has been limited to certain cities and pilot areas. This has meant that most businesses across the UK haven’t had the opportunity to sign up.
While not every area has access to FTTP, the rollout is expected to continue at speed. Openreach plans to supply FTTP to 3 million homes and businesses by 2020, rising to 15 million premises by the mid-2020s. The company also recently announced 36 new FibreFirst locations, along with more transparency about the rollout of the UK's FTTP network.
This rapid expansion of the full fibre network across the UK positions FTTP as a true rival to leased lines. Once an area is FTTP ready, businesses will have more choice about how they want to access faster business broadband speeds – through a leased line or via FTTP.
We’re used to being able to sign up for fibre broadband in most locations, using an FTTC connection. Although the rollout of FTTP is progressing well, it’s not currently available everywhere across the UK.
So how do you find out whether FTTP is available in your area? To help, we’ve built a free and easy to use FTTP Checker tool.
Our free FTTP Checker allows you to instantly see whether FTTP is available and which providers operate in your area. It’s a quick way to start the search for your next business broadband contract.
To start your search, simply click on the link below and enter your postcode and phone number. Once you press the button, these details will be checked against our live database to determine whether you can get FTTP at your premises.
If your area is FTTP ready, you’ll be presented with a list of providers that supply your area. You’ll also be able to see details on pricing, to help you work out whether it’s the right decision for you.
At Amvia we’ve developed a reputation as one of the UK’s leading FTTP providers. We help businesses find the best deal for business broadband, then handle the ordering and installation to make the whole process as smooth as possible.
Once you’ve received your personalised search results from us, you’ll be able to review them and make a decision. Our expert team is always on hand to help you figure out your true requirements and to find a business broadband deal that meets them and saves you money.
As well as getting started with our free FTTP Checker tool, you can also call 0333 733 8050 for free advice from our team of experts.