When it is time to upgrade your business internet — whether you are moving premises, growing, or getting off the old copper network before the switch-off — you will usually come down to two options: full-fibre broadband (FTTP) or a leased line. They are very different products at very different prices, so here is how to tell which one your business actually needs.
Full-fibre (FTTP)
Fibre to the Premises runs a fibre connection all the way to your building, delivering fast, reliable speeds — often up to around 1Gbps. It is shared (contended), meaning you use the same local capacity as other nearby premises, and speeds are usually asymmetric (faster download than upload). For the large majority of small and medium businesses, full-fibre is fast, dependable and good value.
Leased line
A leased line is a dedicated, uncontended connection used only by your business. That brings symmetrical speeds (upload as fast as download), a guaranteed uptime SLA, and faster fault-fix times — but at a noticeably higher cost. It is built for businesses where connectivity is mission-critical.
Which one is right for you?
A few questions usually settle it:
- How critical is your connection? If any downtime seriously hurts you — payments, bookings, VoIP phones, multiple sites — a leased line's guaranteed SLA earns its cost. If not, full-fibre is plenty.
- Do you need fast uploads? Heavy cloud use, large file transfers or hosting favour a leased line's symmetrical speeds.
- What is your budget? Full-fibre offers most of the performance for a fraction of the price; a leased line is a premium product for premium needs.
Either way, if you are still running over old copper lines, plan your move soon — the analogue network is being switched off. See our guide on the copper phone-line switch-off.
How Win Energy helps
We compare business broadband — full-fibre and leased lines — across UK providers, and match the connection to what your business actually needs rather than the biggest package on offer. You can review it alongside your energy, water and waste in one place.
Not sure whether you need full-fibre or a leased line? Call 0845 862 1947 or get in touch for a straightforward comparison — free and with no obligation.
For most businesses, full-fibre is the sensible, cost-effective choice; a leased line is the answer when your business simply cannot afford to be offline. Match the connection to how much you depend on it, and you will pay for what you need — no more, no less.