How Does the Speed of a Leased Line Compare to Other Internet Connections?

When choosing a new business internet connection there are many factors to consider including cost, availability, speeds, support and installation times. One of the key questions that comes up is whether a leased line will be faster than broadband and if so, how much faster? In this article we will compare the performance of three different types of leased line connections – fibre to the premises (FTTP), fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) and ethernet first mile (EFM).

A leased line is a private dedicated internet connection that runs from your ISP’s central network to your office or data centre. This is an uncontended service meaning that the bandwidth you pay for is reserved solely for your use, whereas with a consumer broadband connection the available bandwidth is shared amongst other users of that service, known as contention.

This can cause problems at peak times when everyone is using the service, like a motorway during rush hour – downloads may slow down and buffer or even stop completely. At home this can be a nuisance but at work it can have more significant impacts, impacting productivity, customer service and overall team efficiencies. This is exactly what a leased line is designed to sidestep – with guaranteed bandwidth and speed, backed by service level agreements.

The main difference is that leased lines provide much higher speeds than broadband, with a maximum speed of 10Gbit/s which is the equivalent of 10,000Mbps – the vast majority of broadband services don’t deliver even a tenth of this! In addition to this, a leased line is always symmetrical which means that the upload and download speeds are the same. This is a crucial feature for businesses, especially those who use cloud-based applications that require high upload speeds.

A leased line is also more reliable than broadband, with a service level agreement in place to minimize downtime and provide quick recovery times. This can make all the difference to a business as they need to be able to connect to their cloud-based apps, transfer large files and support VoIP conference calls without any issues.

A leased line can be a bit more expensive than broadband, but it’s important to remember that you’re not comparing like-for-like products when making a leased lines price comparison. A leased line is often much more cost-effective in the long run than a broadband solution that may suffer from regular outages and slowdowns, especially for business-critical applications. So, whilst it might be tempting to jump straight in and choose the cheapest option, a more comprehensive look at what’s on offer can help you to identify if it’s really worth paying the extra cost.

So, How Does the Speed of a Leased Line Compare to Other Internet Connections?

The speed of a leased line stands out compared to other internet connections, offering a dedicated and symmetric bandwidth that ensures equal upload and download speeds. Unlike shared connections such as broadband or DSL, where speeds can fluctuate based on network congestion and usage patterns, a leased line provides a consistent and guaranteed level of performance. This dedicated nature of the connection ensures that businesses have access to the full capacity of the leased line, enabling faster data transfer, reliable communication, and efficient use of online applications. The speed of a leased line is particularly advantageous for businesses with high data demands, such as those relying on cloud services, video conferencing, and other bandwidth-intensive activities, allowing them to operate seamlessly with minimal latency and disruptions.