Your Guide to Leased Line Costs in the UK

How Leased Line Costs Have Changed

In 2020, a 100Mbps leased line in a well-served UK city centre location typically cost £350-£500 per month. By 2025/2026, the same product is widely available at £69-£320 per month — a reduction of 30-40% over five years. This cost reduction reflects sustained infrastructure investment by BT Openreach, Virgin Media Business, CityFibre and a growing number of alternative network operators (altnets), along with significant growth in carrier competition in urban areas.

For businesses that signed leased line contracts in 2019 or 2020 on three-year terms and renewed in 2022/2023, a further cost reduction at the next renewal in 2025/2026 is very likely achievable — the market price for equivalent products has fallen considerably since most existing contracts were first signed.

Current Leased Line Costs: 2025/2026 Benchmarks

The following pricing reflects the current UK market for business Ethernet leased lines. These are monthly rental costs excluding installation charges (see below):

100Mbps Leased Line

• High-competition urban areas (e.g. London, Manchester, Birmingham city centres): from £69-£250/month
• Standard UK town or business park: £69-£320/month
• Lower-competition or more rural locations: £69-£450/month

500Mbps Leased Line

• High-competition urban areas: from £139-£340/month
• Standard location: £139-£440/month
• Lower-competition locations: £139-£580/month

1Gbps Leased Line

• High-competition urban areas: from £129-£440/month
• Standard location: £129-£560/month
• Lower-competition locations: £129-£750/month

Installation Charges: The Variable You Must Check

Monthly rental is only part of the total cost. Excess Construction Charges (ECCs) are one-off installation fees that reflect the cost of civil works required to connect your premises to the nearest carrier fibre. They vary enormously:

• Premises already on or very close to existing fibre: £0-£500 ECC
• Premises requiring a short fibre extension (typically in established business parks): £500-£2,000 ECC
• Premises requiring significant new build (rural locations, new developments): £2,000-£15,000+ ECC

When comparing total cost of ownership over a 36-month contract, a provider with zero ECC and £280/month rental may be more expensive overall than one with a £1,000 ECC and £240/month rental. Always calculate total contract cost (monthly x 36 + ECC) when comparing quotes.

Why Prices Vary Between Quotes

Businesses are sometimes surprised when quotes from different providers vary significantly for what appears to be the same product. The key drivers of variation:

• Infrastructure distance: Each provider calculates a different ECC based on their own fibre's proximity to your premises — one carrier may have fibre passing directly outside your building; another may need to extend from further away
• Network competition: Locations served by multiple carriers (Openreach, Virgin, CityFibre simultaneously) attract lower pricing due to competition
• SLA grade: Higher SLA products — faster fault repair guarantees — cost more
• Speed tier: Price-per-Mbps decreases at higher speeds

How to Ensure You Get the Best Price

The most reliable approach to getting competitive leased line pricing is a multi-carrier comparison through a specialist broker. AMVIA queries all major UK carriers simultaneously for your postcode, returning the lowest available monthly rental and ECC for your required speed and SLA tier. This approach consistently produces better pricing than approaching carriers directly because brokers hold volume-negotiated rates.

For businesses approaching contract renewal, AMVIA also provides renewal benchmarking — confirming whether your current renewal quote reflects current market pricing or whether better terms are available by switching carrier.