Super-fast, modern broadband & advanced internet connectivity
The accelerated adoption of digital solutions demands robust, high-performance internet connectivity. There’s no point introducing the latest business technology if you don’t have a capable broadband connection to run it all.
Let’s consider cloud telephony. Hosted VoIP solutions are delivering incredibly advanced, feature rich systems for those businesses who have adopted them. But with a low speed or a shared internet connection, your teams won’t be able to make and take calls without constant interruption.
What Are The Options For Business Broadband?
Traditional internet connectivity has been overtaken by a range of advanced broadband solutions, which can help businesses manage increased demand and functionality with ease.
Whether it’s maximum speed and capacity, a balance of performance and affordability, or the most on-budget solution, you can find the best option to match your needs and budget. Options include Leased lines, Fibre to the premises (FTTP), Fibre to the cabinet (FTTC), Ethernet Over Fibre to the Cabinet (EoFTTC) and Ethernet in the first mile (EFM), all of which we highlight below.
Contended or Uncontended?
An uncontended line delivers broadband with a ratio of 1:1. It basically means you don’t share your connection with anyone else, and will benefit from high and uninterrupted speeds.
On the other hand, a contended line refers to a shared connection. So if your connection is 25:1, you’re sharing your connection with 24 other users. The more people sharing that connection, the slower your internet speed will be.
So, what are the options for better business broadband?
Fibre to the Cabinet – FTTC
Fibre to the Cabinet is a cost effective solution for fast and reliable internet speeds. It employs both super-fast fibre and traditional copper cables – a copper cable from your building into the cabinet outside (hence ‘to the cabinet’) and then fibre from the cabinet to the exchange.
Delivering decent speeds at affordable prices, FTTC makes sound commercial sense for many businesses, allowing them to have access to intelligent modern systems such as VoIP and cloud communications, for less. Not only that, but FTTC line speeds are typically much more consistent than traditional ASDL lines, delivering peace of mind and the ability to scale up operations without difficulty.
It’s important to remember that your distance from the local exchange dictates the speed available on copper cables, so the further away you are from the exchange, the slower your speed will be.
Fibre to the Premises – FTTP
Though currently not available in some parts of the UK, a Fibre to the Premises connection is a great option for those businesses looking for a cheaper alternative to a Leased Line.
FTTP uses fibre to connect your building to and through a cabinet outside. From the cabinet it continues on fibre until it reaches the exchange, where it joins the shared public broadband infrastructure to the internet.
Ethernet Over Fibre to the Cabinet – EoFTTC
Ethernet Over Fibre to the Cabinet uses fibre technology to connect your workplace to your local cabinet (or copper if fibre isn’t possible). From the cabinet, a dedicated ethernet cable runs your data directly to the internet. This option provides strong internet speeds and solid SLAs.
Ethernet in the First Mile – EFM
Where budget is limited, or there is no access to a local cabinet with a fibre connection, Ethernet in the First Mile is a solid choice. More reliable and resilient than a standard connection, it uses multiple bonded copper pairs of cables to connect your building to the local exchange.
EFM delivers fast, symmetrical internet speeds – identical upload and download speeds. As noted previously, your distance from the exchange will ultimately dictate the speeds available via EFM.
Leased Lines
Rather than sharing a line with other businesses, a leased line provides a company with its very own, high-speed internet connection, typically delivered on fibre optic cabling known as Fibre Ethernet. It connects to the public network directly and then continues on its own line to the internet, so you don’t share infrastructure with anyone else. It’s the only uncontended option here.
The benefits of having a dedicated fibre connection are clear – higher upload and download speeds are guaranteed, reliability is boosted, the solution is fully managed, and daily fluctuations in demand are no longer an issue. This option is ideal for businesses that require the best and most reliable connection, capable of transmitting high levels of data.
With a Leased Line you’ll have a Service Level Agreement too, which will guarantee a certain level of assistance, opening doors for the most cutting-edge communications systems to be rolled out across your workplace.
Conclusion
Even for the most budget-conscious businesses, there are advanced broadband options available for all.
By investing in a rapid and reliable foundation for digital transformation, you’ll have a future-proofed connectivity platform that sets your organisation up for the latest technology solutions, that will ultimately help drive efficiency and productivity.
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