Choosing the right internet connection for your business
FTTP, SOGEA, leased line or 5G. A decision framework based on headcount, uptime tolerance and what runs in the cloud.
By the Telappliant team
There are only four connection types most UK businesses need to consider, and the choice comes down to how much an outage costs you and how much data you push upstream.
The four realistic options
- FTTP full fibre: the default for most offices, fast, widely available, contended, business support
- SOGEA: FTTC-style broadband with no phone line, for addresses full fibre has not reached
- Leased line: dedicated, symmetrical, uncontended, with a contracted fix time
- 5G fixed wireless: fast to install, useful as a bridge or as a diverse failover path
Start with the cost of being offline
Work out what an hour without connectivity costs in lost trading, idle staff and unanswered calls. If that number is small, buy broadband and add a mobile failover. If it is significant, buy a circuit with a service level, and buy a second path. Nothing else in this decision matters as much.
Then look at upload, not download
Count what leaves your building: video calls, cloud backup, remote desktop sessions, file sync, CCTV, and voice. Asymmetric products throttle exactly these workloads. If your upload need is more than about a fifth of your download need, you want a symmetrical service.
A short decision guide
- Under 15 people, cloud apps and calls, outage is inconvenient: FTTP business tariff
- Under 15 people, no FTTP at the address: SOGEA now, FTTP when it arrives
- 15 to 50 people, or heavy upload, or client SLAs: leased line from 100 to 500Mbps
- Any size, trading depends on it: leased line plus a diverse backup circuit with automatic failover
- New site opening before fibre can be delivered: 5G bridge, then migrate
Questions to ask any provider
- Is the speed committed or best efforts?
- What is the target fix time and are there service credits?
- Is there an excess construction charge at this address?
- What is the lead time, and what does it depend on?
- Is the router included, managed and monitored?
- What does an in-life speed upgrade cost?
Do not forget the kit inside the building
Plenty of connectivity complaints are really an old firewall, a consumer access point serving forty devices, or a switch with no quality-of-service configuration. Upgrading the circuit without looking at the network behind it is a common and expensive way to change nothing.
