If your place of work requires reliable, predictable and fast internet connectivity, there really is no alternative to a dedicated fibre leased line.
Sure, fibre broadband services are now common-place and can offer superb speeds to your premises at super-affordable prices. However, the underlying service guarantees reflect that low cost and, for a lot of organisations, can be a false economy.
Firstly, what is a leased line?
A leased line is a dedicated fibre circuit between a business premises and the local exchange, designed to provide uncontended, symmetric and guaranteed internet bandwidth. The services can be provided from several carriers and are delivered with a commercial-grade service level agreement (SLA) and guaranteed fix times for any disruption in service. You can select the bandwidth you receive and should expect real-world performance to offer a very close reflection of that promise.
Are they right for your business?
There is range of choice and continual innovation when it comes to internet. Demand and costs have changed in recent years, and it might be timely to consider your connectivity requirements afresh and to possibly justify a leased line at your business premises.
Most organisations have seen a growing dependance on internet connectivity, particularly with the huge shift to cloud computing and, of course, cloud voice. If your internet connection is disrupted, it probably has an immediate and significant impact on productivity.
Leased line pricing is based on the location of the premises, and its distance from the local exchange. Historically, leased line services have been prohibitively expensive for most small businesses, but the pricing has reduced significantly, and we regularly see 100Mb/s leased lines available now for around £200 – £300 per month.
Once you order your leased line
A leased line installation can incur delays and costs. It’s important to know the process, which is a standard practice from all leased line providers.
Once a leased line order is processed, Openreach will survey the site to establish their preferred method of connecting the premises to their fibre network. The survey will determine if any Excess Construction Charges (ECC’s) need to be levied. ECC’s cover any costs associated with the connection above the inclusive allowance set by the carrier (usually around £2,500 on a 3-year leased line contract). If ECC’s aren’t required, the order will be scheduled and delivered. If ECC’s are identified, then you should be given the options to proceed with the costs or to cancel the order without cost.
Most (urban) leased line installations are pretty straight forward now, as established infrastructure exists in most built up areas. If the installation is straight forward, we generally expectation delivery to take 2–3-months from order. However, if any complications, ECC’s or delays occur, no guarantees or fixed timeframes can be offered.
For situations with a tight deadline (moving offices, for example) we can often provision a cheaper broadband service as an interim measure, on a short-term contract.
What Next?
At Agile, we work with 13+ carriers to ensure we can offer the best, and most cost-effective, leased line services to our clients’ premises, wherever they are. Unlike standard industry practice, we keep our contracts deliberately simple, and avoid complicated termination clauses and secondary terms.
Leased line services aren’t right for everyone. We also offer a comprehensive range of alternative connectivity services.
If you would like to learn more, understand any options at your location or have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.