Broadband internet connectivity is essential in business nowadays. So many of us rely on cloud-based productivity tools, video conferencing, online services and so much more to power our daily operations and strategic aims.
But there are multiple types of business internet connections out there. How do you know what type is right for you? Even if your industry peers or neighbours swear by a certain type of internet connection, that doesn’t mean it’s best for your business.
So, let’s explore the 5 of the most common types of business internet connections that are available to organisations of all kinds, along with the pros and cons of each. Let’s go!
Fibre Broadband
What is Fibre Broadband?
Fibre broadband is a type of high-speed internet connection that uses fibre-optic cables. These cables use fine glass or plastic fibres which can transmit data far faster, and for far longer than traditional copper cables.
Nowadays, fibre broadband is largely the default for most premises. Most SMEs will likely already be using this; failing that they will likely be offered it at their next renewal.
In terms of implementation, fibre broadband generally falls into two camps:
The first and currently more common option is Fibre to the Cabinet or “FTTC”, where fibre lines link the exchange to the street’s telecoms box, which then connects to each premises using copper lines.
The second option, currently growing in availability and uptake across the UK, is Fibre to the Premises or “FTTP”, commonly known as “full fibre.” This is where fibre cables make up the complete connection between your premises and the exchange.
According to Uswitch figures, fibre broadband is now available to around 99% of UK households, and about a third (33%) have access to full fibre broadband. We can therefore assume similar figures for businesses.
Advantages of Fibre Broadband
Because FTTC fibre broadband is the current norm, it’s generally the most available and the most competitively priced. Most SMEs will find that regular fibre broadband is fast and reliable, even in the face of increasing cloud computing and video conferencing.
Full fibre connectivity is slowly making its way throughout the UK, so it may be worth keeping an eye on whether full fibre is available in your area in time for your next renewal.
Disadvantages of Fibre Broadband
The availability of fibre broadband and the speeds on offer will depend on where you are. Sadly, those in rural areas may have to make do with slower speeds than their city-slicking counterparts.
This is because connectivity speeds depend heavily on your closeness to the nearest exchange. The distance that data has to travel from an exchange, to a street telecoms box, to a premises is far shorter in a town or city than it is in the countryside.
However, just because you’re in the city, that doesn’t mean fibre connectivity is necessarily the best option for you. Your connectivity between the exchange and the telecoms box is still shared with other users, so your internet connection may slow down during peak network usage times.
Leased Line
What is a Leased Line?
A leased line is a dedicated fibre optic line that solely serves your premises. This means that you don’t have to contend with other users on the public network at all – the connectivity is fully yours and you can enjoy the total capacity of your connection to its fullest.
Leased lines are great for particularly heavy internet using businesses, such as those with large, on-premise teams and/or those who rely heavily on VoIP telecommunications and video conferencing. Leased lines are also useful for organisations who carry out a lot of time-sensitive activities (e.g., interacting with the stock exchange) as the slightest bit of public network slow-down could cost them money!
Advantages of Leased Lines
Because a leased line is totally yours, you benefit from guaranteed speeds and reliability, and a connection that won’t slow down at peak network usage times.
Leased lines often come with service level agreements (SLAs) which provide much more favourable support and fix times than those that use the public network. For example, we guarantee a less than 4-hour fix time for the leased lines we provide.
Leased lines also benefit from “symmetrical” upload and download speeds, so you can upload things as quickly as you can download them. Normal fibre connections generally provide much higher download speeds than upload speeds.
Disadvantages of Leased Lines
The two main disadvantages of leased lines are cost and hassle.
Installing a leased line can be costly, as you are effectively investing in a direct connection between your premises and the nearest exchange (or “point of presence”). The further you are away from that point of presence, the more work and materials will be involved in getting you connected – and therefore, the more cost.
The monthly bills for a leased line are also considerably more expensive than fibre connections. Monthly costs depend on the speed of your connection and your contract length, too.
In order for a leased line to be installed, a site survey of your premises must be carried out, further adding to the cost and hassle of setup. It’s also important to correctly gauge the speed and bandwidth that your connection is going to need, which is no easy task!
Needle Scratch! Wait, Where’s ADSL?
ADSL cable lines have been a mainstay of high-speed broadband for a while now, but times are changing.
In January 2027, BT will be retiring the old copper-cable PSTN telecoms network in favour of a much faster and more reliable fibre-based network. Therefore, any services that use the old analogue network, such as ADSL, ISDN, fax, and even landline telephony, will stop working. With this in mind, providers around the country are slowly winding down sales of new analogue services, with a complete “stop sell” in place in many areas.
So now is a great time to explore your options and replace any older analogue systems. Note that mobile networks will remain unchanged. Bringing us nicely on to…
Mobile Broadband
What is Mobile Broadband?
Mobile broadband is where 4G or 5G technology is used to provide high-speed broadband connectivity through the public mobile telecoms network. This connectivity is provided through a SIM card, housed within a mobile router. At the time of writing, 92% of the UK’s landmass has 4G coverage from at least one carrier.
The relationship between business and mobile connectivity is only set to get more interesting as the great PSTN switch-off unravels. We may see more mobile internet functionality used within things like emergency lift diallers and other buildings management functions.
Advantages of Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband is useful when an individual or team needs to take internet capability with them as they travel. It’s particularly useful for those on construction sites; those who regularly exhibit at trade shows and expos; teams of field engineers; and even retailers with temporary pop-up shops and stalls. It can be far faster and far more secure than using public WiFi networks too.
However, even if you have a fibre connection to your premises, having a mobile broadband router on standby is a good idea in case your main connection suffers a temporary fault.
Additionally, because mobile internet sends and receives data through the airwaves rather than through cables, it may be useful for those who work in a listed building where permissions surrounding new cabling may be restricted.
Disadvantages of Mobile Broadband
When you connect to a mobile router in a new area, there is no telling how busy that part of the public network might be on any given day. This may become an irritating variable when it comes to worker productivity.
Coverage can be another irritating variable. Mobile coverage in rural areas can be patchy, and though 92% of the UK’s landmass has 4G coverage, that still leaves 8% without. Coverage between carriers can also prove a bit of a hurdle, with 4G connectivity at a given location working fine through one carrier, but not at all through another.
On the subject of carriers, though a mobile router may give a worker or a team free rein to connect to the internet within the UK, there is no guarantee that the same connection/router will work with carrier networks abroad (potential roaming fees notwithstanding).
Satellite Internet
What is Satellite Internet?
Satellite internet is an internet connection facilitated through geostationary communications satellites that are orbiting the Earth, via special satellite routers. This understandably makes it a great choice for those in particularly rural areas where a cabled connection is unlikely to be available soon.
Advantages of Satellite Internet
Like mobile internet, satellite connectivity it can be a handy backup connection in case your cabled internet connection fails – one that isn’t connected to the local exchange or public cabled network at all. Pricing can be surprisingly competitive, depending on usage and plans.
Disadvantages of Satellite Internet
Because the data has to move such a massive distance, traditional satellite internet is pretty rubbish when it comes to interacting with the internet in real time. This makes it difficult to use certain always-on, real-time services that are now expected from the modern internet like VoIP, video calling, streaming, online productivity tools, and much more.
Weather conditions can also adversely affect connectivity.
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite Connection
What is an LEO Satellite Connection?
In terms of communications technology, low earth orbit satellites are communications satellites which orbit the earth at a far lower altitude than traditional communication satellites. The concept relies on maintaining a vast, regularly spaced network of low-orbit communications satellites that surround the Earth.
Standard geostationary satellites orbit at about 36,000km above the Earth’s surface, whereas LEOs are only around 2,000km above us. The closeness of LEOs to each other means that they can ping data quickly between each other to get that data to where it needs to go – wherever on the globe that might be.
The rollout is still in its relatively early days, but LEOs are currently, and likely rightly, being touted as the technology that will help connect the world. More than a third of the Earth’s population is not connected to the internet, and many organisations including the EU, SpaceX, Amazon, and others are entering what some are calling the “space internet race” to grow their LEO fleets.
Advantages of an LEO Satellite Connection
Because data within an LEO network has a far shorter distance to travel than a traditional satellite, an LEO-powered connection can be much faster and stronger. Also, because they are closer to the Earth, they can achieve much more granular coverage.
This means that, with the right infrastructure in place, even the most remote areas will be able to achieve comparable connectivity to a fibre line. LEO networks are growing too, with things only set to get better in terms of coverage and speed.
LEO connectivity isn’t just for businesses on terra firma – it can provide high-speed internet for those at sea and in the air too.
Disadvantages of an LEO Satellite Connection
The main disadvantage of LEO connectivity is one felt by early tech adopters everywhere: the cost of the new. Starlink Business, for example, charges a one-time hardware cost of £2,410 and a fee of £150 a month (at the time of writing), making it one of the pricier options on this list.
With this in mind, a rural business has two options: make do with an ADSL or regular satellite connection until fibre broadband infrastructure reaches them, or pay for a service like Starlink Business (which already covers all of the UK).
There are also very well-founded concerns about the environmental impacts of sending thousands of small satellites up to encircle the planet. And, just like regular satellite internet, LEO internet stability can be very much affected by the weather.
We hope this has helped you weigh up some of your business broadband options. Yet there are far more than just 5 options on the menu! If you still have questions or if you’ve got any doubts, request a call back from one of our friendly experts!