Gigabit-plus broadband vs leased lines: Helping customers choose the right fit

As the full fibre landscape continues to evolve, the next level of broadband has arrived with download speeds up to 1.8Gbps for mind bogglingly fast internet access.

But it was only very recently that we were calling 900Mbps the ‘ultimate broadband experience’. So what’s better about a 1.8 gigabit connection, and why would your customers even consider it? Well faster is always better, right? But the advantages go beyond that. Here are six good reasons why your customers might want to choose these new faster speeds. (And keep reading, because we’ll also be telling you why they might prefer a leased line instead).

1. Faster data transfer speeds

Even compared to a, let’s be honest, already blazingly fast 1Gbps connection, 1.8Gbps provides significantly faster download and upload speeds. For even more rapid transfer of large files, quicker access to cloud-based applications, and smoother HD and 4K streaming, it might sound a pretty basic premise, but more is better.

2. Improved productivity

While it might be harder to come up with reasons why a single individual or household could truly make use of a 1.8Gbps connection, when it comes to connected offices the benefits are more obvious. With faster internet speeds, employees can connect smoothly, even in busy offices where each user is taking a slice of the available bandwidth. Beyond that, faster speeds mean more efficient collaboration through cloud-based applications, higher quality and smoother video calls, rapid access to online resources and a lot more.

3. Enhanced scalability and future-proofing

From cloud applications to offsite data and backup, our everyday lives depend more and more on internet connectivity. And, really, the pattern of ever-increasing data demands only shows the trend going in one direction. A 1.8Gbps connection gives businesses the capacity they need to accommodate these increasing demands as they grow. It provides headroom for future expansion and the adoption of bandwidth-intensive applications without the need for immediate infrastructure upgrades. In other words, if the capacity is already there, growth and expansion is smooth and seamless.

4. Competitive advantage

As a provider, you’ll be aware of the competitive advantage that having gigabit-plus broadband in your portfolio can bring. But it can also provide a competitive edge to your customers too. Especially those that rely on the best in speed and responsiveness. Think cloud-based organisations, creative industries, healthcare, ecommerce, data-driven companies or hospitality and events. Businesses looking for enhanced collaboration, improved efficiency, better customer experience, and innovation can all benefit from the additional speed that these connections provide.

5. Supporting high-bandwidth applications

We’ve already made this point, but let’s look at some of the specifics. A 1.8Gbps connection can more effectively handle bandwidth intensive applications like real-time data analytics, HD and UHD video streaming, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), large-scale collaboration, backup and disaster recovery, and more. When it comes to the fastest available broadband, we’re not saying that the old fastest speed is suddenly substandard. Far from it. But per the ongoing theme of this article, we are saying that ‘better’ is now available, and there are many compelling business cases for your customers to make that choice.

6. Better customer experience

We’ve discussed some of the ‘internal’ benefits of gigabit-plus broadband to businesses. But faster internet speeds can also lead to improved online experiences for customers interacting with the business’s website, applications, or services. And improved experiences lead to higher customer satisfaction, increased engagement, and potentially more sales or conversions.

But what about leased lines?

Every time a faster broadband connection comes along, the leased lines question is raised. And it’s understandable. Because for many years the almost unique selling point of a leased line connection was speed.

In a world where even faster broadband connections are available, the speed argument for leased lines is significantly diminished. But there are still many compelling reasons for businesses to choose a leased line connection instead. Here are five:

1. Dedicated bandwidth

Leased lines offer guaranteed bandwidth exclusively for the customer’s business. Unlike FTTP, it isn’t shared, guaranteeing consistent performance even during peak hours, which is vital for many businesses.

2. Symmetrical speeds

So leased lines might only be available with speeds up to 1Gbps (still pretty fast, but not up to the 1.8Gbps full fibre now on offer). But they still have a key speed advantage: symmetrical bandwidth. Businesses that rely heavily on cloud-based services, large file transfers or remote backup might rely on uploads just as much if not more than downloads. In that scenario, symmetrical bandwidth is invaluable.

3. Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Leased lines come with a 99.9% availability SLA as standard, and with optional add-ons this can even be increased to 100%. When businesses need absolutely assured reliability, this is clearly a better option than the ‘best effort’ service that comes with standard business broadband connections.

4. Wider availability

While full fibre is rolling out in more and more locations every day, fundamentally it is only available where it is available. And that usually means in or around major towns and cities. But many businesses are situated in out-of-town locations that don’t have access to full fibre. Leased lines however can be installed pretty much wherever the customer requires. So even if FTTP isn’t available, with a leased line a high-performance, reliable connection still is.

5. Enhanced resilience

Leased lines can be designed with built-in redundancy (such as multiple physical lines) to minimise the risk of a single point of failure. This is crucial for businesses where downtime is unacceptable. And though full fibre is still highly reliable and can often be specced with resiliency options of its own, for absolute guaranteed connectivity there’s still only one choice.

So which should your customers choose?

Here’s the great thing. When you have both products in your portfolio, you’re giving your customers two exceptional choices. Their final decision will likely come down to raw speed versus reliability and availability guarantees. Whichever choice they ultimately make though, you’ll be able to provide it. And who knows, they may even choose both!