These days, a reliable internet connection is crucial for running a business.
But with so many options out there, you might be confused about which is going to be the right choice for your business.
One of those options is a Leased Line.
But what are Leased Lines? And how are they different from a broadband connection?
What Is A Leased Line?
In a quite simple sense, Leased Lines are like renting a private lane on a motorway for you to get to work.
If motorways were internet lines this would be a private highway with a speed limit you decide to go both ways.
More accurately, a leased line is a dedicated, fixed-bandwidth data connection. It allows companies to have reliable, high-quality Internet access, and guarantees upload and download speeds, uptime, and control.
A leased line is ‘dedicated’ meaning that the bandwidth along the route of your leased line is reserved only for your use.
“Leased” is not to be confused with financial services products, a car lease or a lease for office equipment. Leased in the context of a leased line refers to Internet service providers (ISPs) directly renting availability of their network to companies like Boxx who in turn provide customer services beyond standard broadband.
What Is The Difference Between A Leased Line And Broadband?
This is a question you may ask yourself a lot when researching a new business connection.
Broadband is different because the connection is shared with other users. Leased lines are uncontended – i.e. Not shared with other users outside of your organisation. I’m sure you’re familiar with that slow, frustrating slow internet usually after school, on school holidays or even in the evenings. We go home, connect our phone, tablet, or TV, and start streaming, browsing, or downloading content and almost all media we consume is online.
When everyone in your area is doing the same thing, this slows down your connection – just like a busy motorway. The busier the roads, the slower you can drive.
Leased lines are symmetrical, which means that they have the same upload and download speed. Unlike broadband which is asymmetrical, meaning you have a much faster download.
Asymmetrical connections work great for streaming and not so well for video calls where information is going both ways at the same time. Ever frozen but you can still hear and see the other side? Well, that could be because your upload speed has probably bottlenecked, so you aren’t sending information to the receiver while your download is working just fine with the incoming data streams.
With a dedicated line, the bandwidth you need has been given to you, so only you can access it. This means that your connection will not be affected by peak hours throughout the day and it’s more secure.
How Do Leased Lines Work?
A Leased Line is a dedicated physical line right into your building. The fibre is then terminated to a box on the wall known as an NTE.
An NTE is a small box that takes the exterior Fibre cable and converts it to a connection (Ethernet) to connect to a managed router.
When the NTE converts Fibre to Ethernet, it is known as a “Copper presentation”
A leased line can also be configured with a “Fibre presentation” if required for specific reasons.
A fibre optic leased line works by delivering light pulses down a glass fibre cable, with data travelling at light speed to the NTE
Leased lines can scale up to 10Gbps (Gigabits per second) and can be adapted to your specific company needs, satisfying both capacity and financial constraints.
Confusingly Leased lines are often referred to in different ways.
- Full Fibre Ethernet
- Fibre Ethernet
- Ethernet Access Direct
- DIA or Direct Internet Access
- Ethernet (this one annoys us!
“An Internet leased line is a premium Internet connectivity product, normally delivered over fibre, which provides uncontended, symmetrical bandwidth with full-duplex traffic. It is also known as an Ethernet leased line, dedicated line, data circuit or private line.”
What Are The Advantages Of A Leased Line?
There are so many advantages to investing in a leased line for your business. Check out our list below to decide if they’re the right fit for your company.
Reliability
Improve reliability and performance-Internet connection for your use only
You’ll never have to worry about a drop in your internet connection again with a dedicated line. It maintains its performance level 24/7 so you can always be connected and confident. You can also use as much data as you need for the monthly price agreed.
Symmetrical Upload and Download Speeds
Not only higher available speeds, up to 10Gbps but also the same speeds up as down.
Fast upload is very important for sharing large data files, video conferencing or running your own in-house servers to host websites.
Support
If an unforeseen situation occurs, you will get a faster repair time since all leased lines come with a Service Level Agreement (SLA), guaranteeing immediate action for connectivity issues. Any failure is usually rectified within hours, not days or weeks which is often the case with broadband connections.
What Are The Disadvantages Of A Leased Line?
Whilst there is a great range of advantages to having a leased line, there are also a few disadvantages you should consider before installation.
Longer Installation Time
Installing a leased line takes a bit longer than broadband because each fire connection is unique and dedicated. Also, they are installed point to point between your location and your internet service provider’s equipment. This process can take between 30 to 90 days depending on your requirements.
Cost
Leased lines are more expensive than broadband this is because they are reserved exclusively for the leaseholder. However, the dedicated speed, guaranteed performance and security offered by them is what makes them so valuable to many business owners when comparing options.
Who Needs A Leased Line?
Now after learning a bit more about leased lines and how they can benefit your business, you may be drawn to a leased line purely for the benefit of speed.
Having superfast internet access in an era of increased cloud service usage makes a lot of sense. However, speed is simply one of the elements that make dedicated connections such an important part of a businesses’ infrastructure. The reliability of a dedicated line as well as the support offered through SLA’s mean that any failure is usually rectified within hours, not days or weeks.
For companies that rely heavily on data in their day-to-day operations, a leased line is a must-have.
If you think a leased line could be the right option for your business, you can chat with a team member live or give us a ring on 01908 350750 and we’ll be able to help you decide if it would be a good fit. We’re happy to help.
FAQs
How Much Does A Leased Line Cost?
At Boxx you can get a leased line from £149 per month depending on your location.
Head on over to our website for an accurate, no-obligation quote from one of our friendly team members.
What Can Affect The Price Of A Leased Line?
Leased line pricing can be affected by location, bandwidth, and contract length. Let your provider know all your requirements and information for an accurate quote.
How Long Does It Take For A Leased Line To Be Installed?
Leased lines can take anywhere from 30-90 days to install based on your location and requirements. This is due to the complex installation method where a leased line will require a completely new circuit and labour to successfully connect to your location and your provider’s network.
What’s The Difference Between A Leased Line And A Dedicated Line?
A “Leased Line” and a “Dedicated L ine” are the same thing – they’re simply different terms that are used interchangeably.
