We have a small business that we run from home. We have really poor speeds and have been advised to get a leased line, but I hear that they are really expensive? Does anyone know roughly how much they cost?
Hi RWT75
Here is an article that goes in-depth on this: How Much Does A BT Leased Line Cost in 2020?
You’d be surprised to know that whilst they’re a lot more expensive than traditional broadband, prices have reduced significantly with the ongoing improvements to the UK fibre infrastructure and increased rollout, and will probably continue to do so.
Addresses in the vicinity of others that already have leased line solutions, are also increasingly likely to have significantly lower installation costs due to the nearby presence of the fibre network and ducting.
With the majority of providers, you’d be looking in the region of over £200 per month, based on what bandwidth and “bearer” (total line capacity) you want, and the contract term, plus an install cost that has no upper limit - but of course there are government incentives which make it so that part of the install cost is covered to help businesses afford the improved connectivity.
The install costs cover the civils work i.e. digging up the ground to lay ducting and blow fibre cables over the distance of the route between the nearest fibre node and your property, installation of the equipment in your property and at the exchange, building of the logical elements of your new network (IP addressing, routing), and planning/administration.
All in all, you’d be looking at several thousand £ for the installation (if you’re lucky enough, most or all of it will be covered by the government or carrier’s incentive/scheme), then the ongoing monthly rental which is a couple of hundred £+
If it’s business critical to have constant uptime and decent bandwidth, with a quick resolution to any faults that may occur, the leased line option is definitely recommended.