A leased line is a dedicated, fixed-bandwidth data connection. It allows data-hungry businesses to have a reliable, high-quality internet connection with guarantees of upload and download speed, uptime and resilience. With a dedicated leased line, the bandwidth you require has been given to you and only you have access to it. This means that your connection won’t be hampered by peak times throughout the day. If you own or run your own business, you’ll already be aware of the impact slow internet connections can have. Downloading or sending large files, VoIP conference calls – all can be interrupted by a poor internet connection.

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How do they work?

A leased line stands out because it is exclusively leased to a single business, providing a dedicated connection to the ISP, unlike shared networks used by thousands of others.

This connection links your site(s) directly to the service provider’s core network. It can either connect two business locations (point-to-point) or your site to an internet service provider (point-to-multipoint). Data travels securely over this private connection, bypassing public networks, which reduces latency and enhances security.

Technologies like Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) can further optimize routing and prioritize traffic. At each endpoint, a router or modem manages data flow, and additional equipment, such as firewalls, may be included for extra security.

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How fast can I get?

With a fibre optic leased line, incredibly fast speeds are achievable, with packages offering up to 10Gbps. As leased lines provide uncontended, symmetrical connections, you can customise the speed to match your business needs, balancing capacity and budget.Fibre optic leased lines are typically described using two figures: line speed and bearer speed, often shown as 100/1000. The first number represents the line speed—your actual upload and download speed—while the second indicates the bearer speed, or the maximum potential speed of the line.

This setup allows for future scalability; if your business grows and you need more bandwidth, you can upgrade to a higher line speed (up to the bearer limit) for an additional monthly cost.

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Do I need a leased line?

Businesses might initially be drawn to leased lines for their high-speed internet capabilities—an increasingly valuable feature in an era of growing cloud service adoption. However, speed is just one of several critical advantages that make dedicated connections indispensable for many organisations. Symmetrical connections enhance the reliability of VoIP for business telephony and communication. Additionally, the SLAs associated with fixed connections ensure that faults are typically resolved within hours rather than days. This makes leased lines particularly vital for businesses that depend heavily on data in their daily operations.

Dedicated fibre optic services offer exceptional reliability. Unlike copper-based broadband, they are immune to environmental issues such as electronic interference and water ingress in the network. In the rare event of a service outage, they are prioritised for repair, typically with a five-hour resolution target for complete service loss—significantly faster than the several days often required for standard broadband fixes.