Business Broadband & Leased Line: The Key Differences
May 14, 2025
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6
min read
Highlights
This blog discusses the varying levels of reliability, speed, and service features between these options, encouraging businesses to consider their specific needs and how internet connectivity impacts their operations. Understanding these distinctions can help inform better decisions about the right internet solution for each organisation.
Business Broadband & Leased Line: The Key Differences?
Expert conclusion: The label ‘business broadband’ doesn’t really mean anything – the term covers a wide range of services, each with very different experiences. Get into the details, and save yourself a lot of frustration and disappointment.
What is business broadband?
Most of the time, it’s just the same product as the ISP (Internet Service Provider) sells to their residential customers, but more expensive and probably bundled with a low-level cyber security product.
It has a dedicated web page, with stock photos of people doing business. And it comes with some comforting words to tell you that they know how hard business is. Excruciating.
Your traffic isn’t prioritised. Your connection isn’t dedicated. And if you have an ‘account manager’, they’re probably responsible for literally thousands of customers like you.
If you pay more, you might get a commitment to investigate faults within a given time – usually within a day.
When you’re looking for business broadband, bear these things in mind. Look at the details to see if you’re simply being upsold a bog-standard home broadband plan in a fancy wrapper.
What does great internet connectivity for business look like?
It’s very easy to call something business broadband. But it’s a very different thing to provide internet connectivity that’s genuinely fast and reliable enough for London business in 2024.
One of the fundamental features of an internet product for business is a dedicated connection.
‘Broadband’ or ‘FTTP’ (that’s Fibre to the Premise) means that the service you’re paying for is shared between you and typically 30 of your neighbours – whether they’re houses or other businesses.
So when you have a broadband or FTTP connection, don’t expect to get the Gbps speeds you’ve paid for at busy times (which is most of the working day). It’s cheap, and it connects. But it’s not a product that you can rely on to keep your business running.
At the busiest times, you'll have to hope that it’ll give you what you need. That might mean putting up with a poor-quality video call, a painful wait downloading a PowerPoint, or an eternity for every employee to log in to Teams at 9am.
Internet connectivity that you and your business can rely on is going to be dedicated to you, and that means taking a leased line.
What is the difference between business broadband and business leased line or ‘dedicated’ internet?
One word: reliability.
That’s the key difference between the experience of these two technologies: how much you can rely on your connection, and how that impacts your business. We see it in every customer interaction as they move from broadband to direct internet – the shackles are off.
While business broadband infrastructure is shared with the businesses and houses around you, leased line (or direct internet) infrastructure is dedicated to you – it isn’t shared with anyone.
It’s your connection, and every bit of the bandwidth you’re paying for is yours. It’s guaranteed. Always giving you the internet speed and capacity you need, no matter how busy things get.
The whole Manchester office coming down for a team day? No problem. Sending a broadcast-quality video file to a client on a deadline? Easy. Worrying about signing up to a new cloud-based software for project management? Don’t. Putting the CEO on a video call that has to be perfect? Do it.
A 10Gbps leased line ensures you always have the speed you need. It’s a service you and your business can rely on.
What are the key features of business leased line and business broadband?
Leased line:
• Dedicated to one customer - a dedicated cable between your office and your provider's data centre
• Symmetrical – you get the same upload speed as download speed
• Highly reliable
Broadband:
• Shared by up to 32 users
• Usually asymmetrical – upload typically much slower than download
• Prone to performance issues, particularly during the working day
The technology explained
We’ve covered the difference in experience, but what’s the technology difference?
A ‘leased line’ is a dedicated fibre connection between your office space and your provider’s spot in a data centre (often called a Point of Presence, or PoP). This is where your connection reaches the internet or cloud.
Your proximity to the provider’s data centre is important for latency – which is the speed at which things happen online. It’s not to be confused with upload and download speed, which is how long content takes to get to/from you. It’s more like how quickly the order you give is obeyed.
Two more important features of a leased line network are how many data centres your provider connects to, and how many diverse routes they have between you and those centres.
More than one data centre, and numerous routes equals resilience. And resilience is vital in business internet connections. If one route gets blocked, your data has alternative routes so there's no disruption.
Leased lines use fibre, but they’re not like residential broadband as the fibre line isn’t shared. You’ll often read about leased lines being called Ethernet, but the main terms to look out for are Leased line or Direct Internet Access (DIA).
A broadband connection is typically PON-based – that’s passive optical network, and relates to the way in which ‘splitters’ are used to connect multiple customers to the same fibre. It’s a revolutionary technology when it comes to delivering fibre to multiple homes, where super low cost is the main driver. But for business, it’s ‘best effort’, at best.
It’s cheap to deliver, and so it’s relatively cheap to buy. But it comes with the reality that you cannot rely on it. If the other homes or businesses on your fibre are using the network, then you’ll suffer.
What are the benefits of a leased line?
A dedicated connection means guaranteed bandwidth
With a leased line, you get every bit you pay for, unlike a shared ‘broadband’ connection, where you can pay for 1Gbps but it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever see that speed.
A connection you can rely on
Always the speed you’ve paid for and infrastructure that’s backed up by an SLA (Service Level Agreement) – and automatic compensation if you choose a really good ISP. And the ability to order a back-up line, to increase the resilience of your service.
Lower latency
The more direct architecture and quicker route to a data centre (where your connection hits the internet) means a leased line will almost always offer lower latency than a broadband connection.
Upload that matches download
Most broadband, FTTP and cable services advertise the download speed but keep quiet on upload – that’s because upload is significantly slower in these services, often as little as a tenth of the speed. Leased lines have ‘symmetrical’ download and upload.
Enhanced security
Security can never be taken for granted, so check on the Infosec and compliance qualifications of your provider – typically, those selling residential-grade services won’t invest in this area, but serious business providers recognise the huge benefit to their customers.
How quickly can I get connected to business broadband?
This is such an important question to ask – don’t assume anything.
In terms of connection time, the difference between leased line and broadband isn’t a thing to worry about. Neither is guaranteed to be quick; neither is particularly slow. It really does depend on the building that you’re in.
What does change things significantly is the network provider that you choose and whether or not they own their own network. If you’re joining a provider that just resells Openreach, then they *cannot* prioritise getting you connected.
It’s not because they don’t want your business. It’s because regulation means that Openreach can’t show any kind of preference to any provider.
Try joining a provider that owns its own network, and you’ll find that they’re not constrained in this way. They can – assuming they really do own all the parts of their network and service – work with you to get you connected in the timeframe that works for you.
Another thing to look out for in your provider is an in-house wayleave team. A wayleave is permission by the building landlord/freeholder to the internet provider to allow them to install a fibre connection to the premises.
It’s more often than not a formality, but choosing a provider that is an expert at it and doesn’t outsource to a third party can significantly reduce the time you might wait.
What is an SLA, and what will it mean for me?
An SLA is a Service Level Agreement – the level of service the provider agrees they’ll provide to you. It’s the commitment that a provider makes to you as a customer.
Business plans are often only differentiated from residential plans by an SLA. The commitment to look at your fault within a day is something that you’re paying a fair bit for, so check the details and what you’re actually being promised.
Look for a provider that commits to a fix time and backs it up with automatic compensation – that way you know they’re serious about getting things right. Most providers know that most businesses won’t bother to apply for compensation – so the ones that commit to compensate automatically are the ones who’ve got your back.
Ask your provider about their SLA, and how they back it up with automatic compensation.
Who should get a business broadband plan?
Look online, and you’ll find the advice that every single business should get a business broadband plan. And when you consider that most business broadband plans are just repackaged residential plans with a higher price, that’s no surprise.
But there’s no point paying extra for a business plan unless it’s really delivering a benefit to you. And if your solo or home business can make do with a normal residential broadband plan, then there’s very little point upgrading to a more expensive ‘business’ plan.
If you do go for a residential plan, then think about FTTP vs FTTC (fibre-to-the-cabinet) or cable. There’s a big gap in the speeds and reliability of these technologies. None of it is ‘business-grade’, but a well-priced FTTP plan will give you a better experience than FTTC (which is fibre up to your street, then an old copper wire from the green box to your house), or cable, which is notoriously prone to faults and downtime.
The real question is do you need a dedicated line, or can you make do with a shared connection? It’s about weighing up the importance of cost against the importance of reliability.
What does it cost you when you don’t have the connection you need to get the job done? And what does it cost you when the network you’re on has a two-day outage?
If you honestly don’t mind about the reliability of your connection, then a residential FTTP line could be for you.
For everyone else, the answer is a dedicated line. You need the guarantee that your internet connection is always going to give you the speed and capacity you need. And a back-up line ensures you’re never offline.
What kind of business needs a dedicated line?
The answer to this question ten years ago would have been a very onerous list of requirements involving a then-mysterious notion called ‘the cloud’. And only larger businesses would have ticked the boxes.
But this is 2024 and everything’s changed.
Business now depends on a remote workforce, video calls, reliable file transfers, and cloud-based storage, sharing and software. It’s the norm.
And the more people you have connecting at any one time, the more capacity you need in your internet connection – especially at peak times.
Think about being at home, and Netflix buffering because one other person in the house is downloading a game or a movie. That’s not something that a business can tolerate, so you need plenty of capacity for each employee.
Your internet connection shouldn’t be a barrier to your work, so it’s best to choose a plan that will always give you what you need.
What happens if I need to move office?
No matter the type of connection, if you’re moving office then you’ll have to talk to your business ISP provider in good time and ask them to provide a connection to your new premises.
If your provider already has a connection to the new address, then things will (or at least should!) be quick and simple. If they don’t, they’ll build one or use a different network that’s already in the right area – that’s why it’s important to give them good notice.
Ask if your service provider would charge you a fee for the move and activation.
What should I look for in a business broadband plan?
There are four things you should look out for in a business broadband plan:
• Paying more for the same – don’t be conned by a ‘business plan’ that’s just a residential deal with a mild security boost
• Signing up for shared vs dedicated – now you know the difference, you can make an informed choice on what’s right for you, but the main difference is a connection you can rely on
• Being drawn in by an SLA – these commitments often don’t mean a lot; check out if your provider will automatically compensate you for any downtime, then you know they’re serious
• Getting connected quickly – there are never guarantees, but a provider that owns its own network and manages ‘wayleaves’ in-house is a very good place to start
Conclusion
A business plan isn’t for every business. And not every business plan is worth the extra cost. But a dedicated leased line will ensure that connectivity never holds your business back. Assess how dependent your operation is on having a truly reliable connection that always delivers the speed you need. That will tell you what type of service you should go for.
And if you’re not sure, contact our team and they’ll be happy to talk it through and recommend what’s right for you.
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Gone are the days when SME businesses could view cybersecurity mostly as a concern for big corporations with global exposure and dedicated IT resource. Today, cybercrime is a multi-billion pound ‘industry’, with small and mid-sized businesses most often in its sights.
And the risks are very real. In the past year alone, brands including M&S, Co-op, Harrods, and even major railway stations have made headlines due to cybersecurity incidents. These high-profile cases show that no organisation, regardless of size or sector, is immune. They also serve as reminders of how disruptive and damaging an attack can be.
So, who is it that poses the threat? The answer is highly organised criminal groups, generally based overseas, running lucrative cybercrime business models, all on their own. With ransomware now a billion-pound industry, these groups buy and sell stolen data, lease out attack tools, and target companies whose stolen data indicates their capacity to pay.
According to HMRC, 70% of UK SMEs were hit by cyberattacks last year. Yet half of all UK and US businesses, mostly smaller firms, still don’t have a response plan in place.
So let’s look at why SMEs are at such risk, what today’s most common threats look like, and the practical and affordable steps you can take to protect yourself if you run a business.
These insights emerged from a fascinating recent panel discussion which our very own Aaron Rice, CIO, hosted at Vorboss HQ, featuring leaders from cybersecurity firms Wavenet and SE LABS. If you’re running an SME and don’t yet have a clear cybersecurity plan, this is the place to start.
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Not ‘if’, but when. The case for ‘resilience’
Cybersecurity used to be about trying to build an impenetrable wall around your systems, but as the threat landscape has changed, so has the mindset. Today, it’s less about preventing every attack and more about being ready to respond when something does get through.
This concept - resilience - came up repeatedly as Wavenet’s CISO, Paul Colwell, and SE LABS’ CEO, Simon Edwards, shared their views. Their message for SMEs was clear. It’s not a question of if you’ll be attacked, it’s a matter of when. How well you bounce back may be the difference between a brief disruption and a long-term crisis.
Perhaps the first question to ask in any cyber incident is “Do we have backups?”. If your systems are compromised or locked down, having secure, up-to-date backups can be the difference between getting back to work or being forced to pay a ransom to regain access. Backups don’t stop an attack, but they’ll make recovery easier.
A cyberattack doesn’t just target your systems, it puts your entire business at risk. Downtime, financial loss, and damaged customer trust are all on the table.
The good news is that becoming resilient doesn’t involve making huge investment into high-end technology. With a little planning, it’s entirely possible to build a strong line of defence, and a solid plan for recovery, without excessive cost. In fact, with fewer systems, simpler structures, and the ability to act quickly, smaller businesses often have an advantage over large enterprises when it comes to putting effective measures in place.
The most common cyber threats to SMEs
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As most SMEs don’t have the time or budget to keep up with every new cybercrime threat, they make attractive targets for hackers, and though cyberattacks come in all shapes and sizes, certain threats show up again and again.
So, what are the most common cyber threats facing SMEs?
Phishing and identity theft
This is where it usually starts. A staff member receives what looks like a legitimate message, usually impersonating a colleague, a supplier, or even a client. It might ask them to click a link, update some details, or approve a payment.
If they take the bait, attackers can obtain access to login credentials, email accounts, or sensitive data, all without needing to “break in”. In the words of SE LABS’ Simon Edwards, “Hackers don’t break in. They log in.”
Ransomware
Ransomware is a frighteningly effective criminal business model, whose use against SMEs has escalated dramatically. Attackers encrypt your data, lock your systems, and demand payment (usually in Bitcoin) to let you back in. In 2023 alone, ransomware was already estimated to be worth over £1bn a year.
While paying the ransom may seem to be the quickest way out, it can open your business up to serious legal and ethical risks, especially if you have no visibility on where the money you’re paying over is going to.
Business email compromise (BEC)
BEC attacks are clever, patient and, again, highly lucrative. Hackers gain access to an internal email account and often set up automatic forwarding to an external address, allowing them to silently monitor conversations over time. They gather intel, study genuine correspondence, and then strike, perhaps by sending a fake invoice or redirecting a payment. It’s why fake emails are so convincing: these criminals aren’t guessing, they know exactly what you’re expecting and exploit timing and trust with precision.
Cyber hygiene. Arranging simple, powerful protection
Cybersecurity doesn’t have to start with technology. It starts with behaviour; simple, everyday habits that make it harder for attackers to get in.
Unlike big organisations with complex systems, SME management teams are usually free to set rules, enforce good habits, and make changes without needing to go through layers of approval.
The number one non-technical thing an SME can do to protect itself? Simon Edwards didn’t hesitate: “Easy. Cyber hygiene and the Cyber Essentials programme.”
So, what does good, basic cyber hygiene look like? A good way to think about it is via ‘The 3 Ps’, as the industry refers to them.
Passwords
Make sure everyone in your business is using strong, unique passwords, and that these aren’t shared or reused across different systems.
A strong password should:
• Be at least 12 characters long
• Use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols
• Avoid personal details or common words
Next, enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible. It’s one of the simplest and most effective ways to stop unauthorised access.
Phishing
Your team is your first line of defence. Train your people to recognise suspicious emails, double-check unusual requests, and report anything that doesn’t feel right. Most phishing attacks rely on urgency or familiarity to bypass common sense, so encouraging people to pause and consult with managers or appropriate colleagues before taking any action in response to a suspect email can make all the difference.
Patching
Every piece of software has flaws, and cybercriminals are quick to exploit these. Keep all your systems up to date. That includes operating systems, email tools, cloud platforms, routers, and printers. When a zero-day vulnerability is announced, fast patching is critical. It could be the difference between staying secure or becoming one of the first victims.
None of these steps requires major investment. All that’s needed is a clear policy, regular reminders, and a commitment to taking security seriously.
Certifications that help protect and reassure
Even when you recognise the danger of cyberattacks and have measures like these in place to reduce your exposure, how can you evidence this to clients and customers, as well as your employees?
It doesn’t have to be complex - there are certification schemes built specifically for SMEs.
At a basic level, they help you cover the fundamentals. But they also send a clear signal to clients, partners, insurers, and suppliers that you’re serious about reducing risk.
The three most widely recognised certifications are:
Cyber Essentials
The entry point for most UK organisations, and a great starting place for SMEs. Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme that covers the basics: secure configuration, access controls, software updates, and protection against common threats. It’s a self-assessed process and, once certified, you’ll receive a badge that shows you’ve met the standard. Clients like it. Insurers like it. And it’s easier to attain than you think.
Cyber Essentials Plus
This is the next step up. It includes everything in the basic Cyber Essentials scheme but adds an independent audit and technical testing. If your business handles sensitive data, works with regulated industries, or simply wants more assurance, then this is worth considering.
ISO 27001
Recognised internationally, this is the gold standard for information security management. It’s more involved and more expensive than Cyber Essentials, but if your business is growing fast or you’re working with enterprise clients, it can be a significant asset.
Whatever level of certification you feel is appropriate for your business, try not to treat it as a one-off box-ticking exercise. It’s a chance to improve your practices, strengthen your culture, and set a clear security baseline that will protect you as you grow.
What to do if you’re attacked
No matter how well prepared you are, things can still go wrong.
The key is to stay calm and act quickly, following a pre-prepared response plan. A good response plan doesn’t just help you recover faster. It can also limit the damage, protect your customers, and stop the same thing happening again.
If you find yourself under attack, here’s what to do:
1. Find the way in
Your first priority is to understand how the attacker got access. Was it a stolen password? A phishing email? A vulnerability in your software? Until you know, you won’t be able to shut the door properly, and you risk being hit again.
“Your number one priority is to understand the route of attack, and block it,” Simon Edwards advises. “If you don’t, there’s nothing to stop them coming back.”
2. Contain the damage
Isolate affected devices or systems. Lock down compromised accounts. If you work with an IT provider, contact them immediately. The faster you act, the more you can limit the spread.
3. Check your backups
If your systems have been locked by ransomware or wiped by an attacker, check whether your backups are intact and up to date. If so, you may be able to restore your data without paying a ransom and get your business back on its feet faster. Ideally, backups should be stored offline or in a secure cloud service and tested regularly to make sure they work when you need them.
4. Don’t rush to pay
If it’s a ransomware attack, you’ll be asked to pay - usually in Bitcoin. But paying the ransom doesn’t guarantee you’ll get your data back, and it could even put you in legal trouble if the money later turns up in a sanctioned country. Always get expert advice, ideally from a law firm with a cybersecurity team, before taking any action.
5. Inform the right people
Depending on the nature of the breach, you may need to notify regulators, clients, suppliers, or insurers. Transparency is important, and delay can make things worse. If you hold personal data, you may also have a legal duty to report the incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
6. Learn from it
An attack is painful, but it’s also an opportunity. Once you’ve recovered, take time to understand what went wrong and how to prevent it in future. Were there warning signs? Was it something that could have been stopped? Use the experience to build better defences.
Penetration testing. Something to know as you grow
As your business grows or handles sensitive data, you’ll likely hear about penetration testing. Pen testing involves hiring ethical hackers to find weak spots in your systems before attackers can exploit them.
For many SMEs, especially early on, this might be overkill. But as your business scales, or you pursue larger clients, ‘pen testing’ can become a requirement. Insurers may also ask about it if you’re looking for more comprehensive cyber cover.
Don’t forget your suppliers
Many SMEs rely on third-party suppliers like cloud software and service providers to handle everything from email and invoicing to customer data and collaboration tools. But if one of those providers gets hacked, your business could be affected.
Don’t hold back. Ask the companies whose systems you engage with a few simple questions:
• "What security measures do you have in place?"
• "Are you certified under schemes like Cyber Essentials or ISO 27001?"
• "If something goes wrong at your end, who’s responsible, and how will we be informed?"
It doesn’t need to be a formal audit. Just showing that you’re aware of the risk and asking for basic reassurances can go a long way. And if a supplier is vague or dismissive about security, treat that as a red flag. In the end, your own cybersecurity is only as strong as the people you trust to help run your business.
Take action today
You don’t need to overhaul your entire business to make meaningful progress on cybersecurity. A few well-chosen actions will dramatically reduce your risk, and set a solid foundation for whatever may happen:
A final thought: resilience beats perfection
Cybersecurity can feel like a complex topic, especially when you’re running a growing business and perhaps no dedicated IT team. But protecting your company doesn’t mean spending a fortune on tech.
It means being prepared. Putting sensible safeguards in place. Creating a culture of awareness. And knowing how you’ll respond if, or when, something goes wrong.
That’s resilience, and it’s well within reach for every SME.
Get in touch
If you'd like to discuss building resilience, or how your connectivity can strengthen your security strategy, speak to one of our experts today.
We’ll connect you directly with SE LABS or Wavenet if we believe it’s the right fit for your needs.
Wash - A quest for pixel-perfect post-production
Wash is an independent post-production company based in London, specialising in colour grading and VFX for commercials, music videos, and feature films. They’ve worked with some of the world’s most recognisable brands, including Bentley, Samsung, and Adidas.
Founded by Jon Dobson in 2016, Wash quickly carved out a name for itself as a boutique, cutting-edge studio delivering high-end post production. They pride themselves on delivering and building long-term relationships, and always going the extra mile.
In 2024, the business expanded their services to 3D animation, TV title sequences, and special FX compositing. As the client base and file sizes grew, Jon and the team needed infrastructure that could scale with their ambitions - supporting globally distributed artists without compromising quality.
Future-proofing post-production with a 25Gbps connection
Their previous connection was fine, but fine isn’t what Wash is built on. As the business scaled, so did the frustration with a provider that didn’t check-in, didn’t understand their industry, and didn’t offer the service Wash needed.
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Where Vorboss made the impact
A global studio demands global performance
With artists from Turkey, India, and beyond collaborating remotely with the London HQ, seamless connectivity isn't just important, it's essential. The Vorboss network delivers exactly that, with near-instant responsiveness and ultra-low latency. So, whether it's a director in LA or a designer in Istanbul, everyone sees what’s happening in real time - no stutter, no delays, no surprises.
100Gbps-ready infrastructure
As 8K video becomes the new ‘normal’ and file sizes grow, Wash upgraded from a 10Gbps to 25Gbps Direct Internet line - future-proofing their workflow and improving transfer speeds, stability, and efficiency. Plus, if/when the time comes, they can increase their bandwidth in days, not months.
Secure, stable remote access
From unreleased campaigns to confidential TV productions, security is non-negotiable. With artists logging in from all over the world, the Wash team needs to know who’s connected and from where. Their Vorboss connection gives them the speed and stability needed to support the tools that keep everything secure and running smoothly.
What stood out for Wash
Future-proofed connectivity
As Wash’s profile continues to rise, so does their demand for high-performance connectivity. With a 25Gbps line already powering their work, they’re not just keeping up, they’re leading the charge. Ready to scale up to 100Gbps with ease when the time comes, Wash are fully equipped to keep delivering world-class storytelling and visuals, without compromise.
