Blog What is a Leased Line | Your Complete Guide

What is a leased line broadband connection and is it a wise choice for business internet solutions? To answer the second question first, yes, absolutely, but of course it does depend on your usage and your requirements. To address the first question of what a leased line connection is, in short, it is a private or dedicated network line. This is an alternative to your standard public broadband connections.

In this blog post, you will find more information on what a dedicated leased line is and how they can be extremely useful, even as a business internet solution for small businesses. It really doesn’t matter how large your organisation is, it ultimately depends on how you use the internet day to day. Carry on reading to find out more.

What is a leased line broadband connection?

So, what is a leased line in networking? First of all, think of your standard home-based internet connection. You will use this to run your phone, tablet, TV and other devices at home to stream or download content. If everybody else in your household is doing the same thing, this can drastically slow your connection as users contend for the bandwidth. Now think not only this, but consider you’ll also usually be contending with other households in your local area.

The difference with a dedicated leased business line is that only you are using it. It is a fixed bandwidth data connection totally private to your business. So if you process or use a lot of data, you can rely on a stable and high-quality internet connection with guaranteed upload and download speeds. Your connection speeds will never be hampered by peak times throughout the day. This provides a service above and beyond what standard broadband provides.

How do leased lines work?

Now we’ve covered what a leased line is, let’s take a look at how it works. This dedicated connection is between two points, your premises and typically your telecom provider’s point of presence (PoP), which connects to the wider internet. The connection can be delivered entirely over fibre optic cables, or in some cases, a combination of fibre and copper, depending on the type of leased line (more on that later). Data travels along this private route with minimal interference, offering fast upload and download speeds, low latency, and high reliability.

For more information on fibre connections to your business premises, you can take a read of our other blog post – FTTP Meaning | Your Guide to Fibre To The Premises.

What are the benefits of a leased line?

Business internet solutions for large businesses often make use of leased lines due to their data demands and requirements. But that doesn’t mean any business of any size can’t enjoy the benefits a leased line can provide. We’ve included some of the most prominent benefits below.

Symmetrical speeds

One of the standout benefits of a leased line is its symmetrical upload and download speeds. What does this mean? This means you get equal speeds in both directions, upload and download. With symmetrical broadband, your communication and data handling remain fast, smooth and uninterrupted at all times. This is crucial for businesses that rely on cloud-based services, video conferencing, large file transfers, or VoIP telephony.

Unlike broadband, leased lines also come with guaranteed bandwidth. This means you get the speed you’re paying for at all times, significantly boosting overall productivity and performance.

No contention

As mentioned earlier, typical broadband connections are contended, which means they’re shared with multiple users in the local area. This can cause speeds to slow down during peak usage periods. With a leased line, your business has exclusive access to the connection, eliminating congestion and ensuring consistent performance. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is.

Unlimited data usage

Leased lines provide truly unlimited data usage. You can upload and download as much as you need, with no caps or extra charges. This is ideal for data-heavy operations and businesses with high monthly usage.

Enhanced reliability

Leased lines come with comprehensive Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that guarantee uptime and rapid fault resolution. Should any issues arise, your business benefits from priority support, minimising downtime and ensuring operations remain on track.

Improved security

Because a leased line is a private and dedicated connection, it offers a more secure environment for transmitting sensitive or confidential business data. With no external users sharing the connection, the risk of interception or unauthorised access is significantly reduced.

What are the different types of leased lines?

Leased lines typically fall into three main categories, each with its own features, performance levels and pricing.

1. Full Fibre

This is also referred to as fibre ethernet or Ethernet Access Direct (EAD). This is the most common type of leased line connection. It is delivered entirely over fibre optic cables from your business premises to the internet service provider. This offers exceptional speed and reliability, with typical speeds up to 1Gbps (even up to 10Gbps in some areas).

Full fibre lines are the fastest and most robust leased lines options available. This makes them ideal internet solutions for medium-sized businesses and above.

2. Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM)

This can often also be called Ethernet broadband. It uses traditional copper wires to deliver a connection to your premises and a full fibre Ethernet connection from the exchange. It’s a good option for businesses without access to local fibre cabinets. It uses multiple copper pairs to ensure your connection remains stable even if one pair fails.

3. Ethernet over FTTC (EoFTTC)

This is for businesses that do have access to fibre-enabled street cabinets, and is very similar to EFM as it uses a combination of fibre and copper, but is even cheaper. However, speeds can be affected by the distance your premises are from the cabinet. This is a practical solution for small businesses with low connectivity requirements.

Are leased lines better for businesses?

This ultimately depends on your usag,e as mentioned earlier. If you only use the internet to casually browse or stream content, then a leased line may not be necessary.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is your current internet connection consistently meeting your performance expectations?

If your connection isn’t delivering the speed, reliability and uptime your business needs day to day, then you may well benefit from a leased line connection.

2. Do you experience slowdowns, dropouts or connection glitches?

If you’re regularly dealing with lag or interruptions, it may be a sign that your current solution is struggling to keep up with your business demands.

3. Is poor internet speed ever a barrier to working efficiently or meeting deadlines?

Consider whether delays caused by your internet service are affecting productivity, client satisfaction or operational output. The extra cost of a leased line could in the long run save you time and boost productivity.

4. Do you regularly transfer large volumes of data that require fast upload and download speeds?

Consider whether your data handling (such as file transfers, backups or system syncing) need the high speeds and reliability that leased lines provide.

5. Does your business rely on cloud-based software or SaaS platforms?

Cloud applications require stable and responsive connections. If your business depends on these tools, a leased line ensures smoother and uninterrupted access.

6. Do you use VoIP or other real-time communication tools often?

Voice over IP (VoIP) and video conferencing require low latency and consistent bandwidth. If these tools are core to your operations, a leased line can prevent issues like poor call quality or dropped connections.

What is a leased line installation timeline?

Leased line installation times vary depending on local infrastructure. In some cases, installation can be completed in just a few weeks, especially if fibre network cables are already in place. Some installations can take longer, with typical timeframes quoted as 45 to 90 working days. Delays often occur is additional engineering is needed, such as digging up roads.

What is a leased line broadband package from Infinitel?

What is a leased line and how will it benefit you? We’re here to help you find out. The team here at Infinitel will ensure you get the right broadband package for your specific requirements, no matter the size or stature of your business.

For more information or to find out about our products, please contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

If you enjoyed this blog post you may like our other similar post: Fibre vs Broadband – The Difference Explained.