Choosing the right broadband technology is one of the most important decisions a business can make. Your connectivity underpins everything from email and cloud applications to VoIP calls and video conferencing. In this guide, we break down the three main options available to UK businesses.
FTTC: Fibre to the Cabinet
FTTC delivers fibre optic connectivity to the street cabinet nearest your premises, with the final connection running over existing copper telephone lines. This is the most widely available fibre technology in the UK.
- Speeds: Typically 40 to 80 Mbps download
- Best for: Small businesses with moderate bandwidth needs
- Limitation: Speed depends on distance from the cabinet
FTTP: Fibre to the Premises
FTTP provides a full fibre connection directly to your building, eliminating the copper bottleneck. This delivers significantly faster and more reliable speeds than FTTC.
- Speeds: Up to 1 Gbps download and upload
- Best for: Growing businesses, cloud-heavy workloads, multiple users
- Advantage: Consistent speeds regardless of distance
Leased Lines
A leased line is a dedicated, private connection between your premises and the network. Unlike broadband, the bandwidth is not shared with other users, providing guaranteed symmetric speeds.
- Speeds: 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps, symmetric (same upload and download)
- Best for: Mission-critical operations, data-intensive businesses, multi-site connectivity
- Advantage: Guaranteed bandwidth with SLA-backed uptime
Comparison at a Glance
| Feature | FTTC | FTTP | Leased Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Speed | 80 Mbps | 1 Gbps | 10 Gbps |
| Symmetric | No | Available | Yes |
| Dedicated | No | No | Yes |
| SLA | Basic | Standard | Premium |
| Cost | Low | Medium | Higher |
Which is Right for Your Business?
The best choice depends on your specific needs: how many users you have, what applications you run, your budget, and how critical uptime is to your operations. Srvwire can help you assess your requirements and recommend the optimal solution.