Planning for 2025: our top tips for better business connectivity

It’s a cliche but it remains true: every business is a digital business these days. You may produce, distribute or sell physical products, but your sales, logistics and procurement are likely to rely on a range of connected digital systems. Not to mention your security, marketing, fleet tracking, e-commerce…you get the picture.

So, as you plan for a better 2025, making your digital connectivity more reliable, efficient and cost-effective is a crucial ingredient of more successful business. In this, we can help. Here are five tips for better digital business in 2025.

1. Get backup for business continuity

If you rely on digital services, what happens if your connectivity drops out? Imagine the turmoil if employees can’t access their productivity tools and customers can’t place online orders. Then imagine 100 other things that won’t happen if you can’t connect to your networks.

Connectivity is simply too important to modern business to leave to chance. So don’t. If you haven’t already, we strongly recommend you upgrade to connectivity with 4G backup. That simply means if your fixed line broadband goes down, your systems automatically connect via the 4G data network. Your people may barely notice the difference. It’s business continuity and peace of mind in one, and needn't be expensive. Check the availability of Zen’s Business Fibre Pro 4G for starters

2. Make your organisation switch off ready

As you may have heard, Openreach plans to turn off the creaking PSTN network - sometimes referred to as the landline - in 2027. The switch off has been delayed - it was originally scheduled for the end of 2025 - but that’s no reason to put off getting switch off ready as soon as possible. PSTN lines are getting old and difficult to maintain. The possibility of disruption and dropouts will only get stronger as switch off approaches.

If you still have services that rely on copper PSTN connections there are huge benefits in acting sooner rather than later. For starters, you won’t be impacted by the slow decay of the copper network, and you’ll also enjoy better, more reliable digital services before many of your competitors. Zen’s SOGEA, full fibre and leased lines are all switch off ready. Upgrade this year and beat the rush as the deadline approaches.

3. Regrade and save

Another reason to transfer to more modern connectivity is cost. Legacy fibre connectivity, such as FTTC, may be costing you more than a modern SOGEA equivalent because of line rental costs.

For example, our legacy Business Fibre 2 comes to £42.98 a month, made up of £24.99 for the service and an extra £17.99 in line rental. In comparison, our SOGEA Essentials comes to £35.49, made up of £29 per month for the service and just £6.49 for our CloudComms Solo Digital Voice package. No line rental required.

4. Check your need for speed

If you plan to grow your business in 2025, you don’t want to have to slam on the brakes because your connectivity isn’t up to the task. As you employ more people, take on more customers or upgrade digital services and communications, you may find that part fibre connectivity (FTTC or SOGEA) isn’t keeping up with your ambitions.

In which case, full fibre may be the answer. The UK’s full fibre network now covers more than 70% of properties, and Openreach predicts that 95-96% of all UK properties will have access to FTTP by spring 2027. Full fibre business broadband delivers the fastest speeds and unmatched reliability. It’s ideal for businesses that are doing more in areas like cloud storage, video conferencing and online collaboration. If that sounds like you, it’s worth checking out if full fibre is currently available at your premises.

If you need more consistency and reliability but can’t get full fibre yet, a leased line could do the trick.

5. Check your contract

Is your business broadband contract coming to an end in 2025? It’s worth checking, because being out of contract risks being caught by price hikes. The beauty of broadband from Zen - in contrast to many of our competitors - is that we promise not to raise prices while you’re in contract, so the quicker you act, the less likely you are to be hit by price rises.

Connectivity is the central nervous system of your business, an information channel that allows you to work effectively while alerting you to upcoming opportunities and challenges. Making it faster, more reliable or more cost-effective in 2025 is a big step towards better business.