ADSL

ADSL is a cost-effective internet circuit that will offer your business a basic internet connection.

If you simply need a circuit that will be used very rarely for small tasks, ADSL is suitable.

This internet circuit utilises existing telephone lines to provide your business with connectivity. If you already have a phone line, the installation of an asymmetric digital subscriber line should be possible.

As with any internet circuit there are some notable benefits, such as:

• Cost-Effective
• Uses Existing Lines
• Available in Most Areas

This is a Cost-Effective Option

If you need broadband for your business on a tight budget, this could be the right circuit for you.

ADSL is probably the cheapest internet circuit that is currently available for businesses. As a result, it’s probably the best suited option if you need basic broadband that isn’t often required.

ADSL Uses Existing Lines

Some internet circuits require additional infrastructure in the form of new lines, which can be costly. ADSL circuits, on the other hand, uses telephone lines.

If you already have a telephone line, no additional lines will need to be installed for this type of circuit.

Available in Virtually Every Area

Because ADSL uses existing telephone lines, it is available in most areas.

Even the majority of remote areas can have this internet circuit installed, so it is available to 99.9% of businesses.

Why Isn’t ADSL A Good Option?

Depending on your requirements, ADSL probably wouldn’t be a good internet circuit for your business.

Users of ADSL have to deal with:

• Poor Speeds
• Contended lines
• High Attenuation

We explore these downsides to asymmetric digital subscriber lines further on its dedicated page.

FTTC

Fibre to the cabinet is an internet circuit providing speeds superior to ADSL circuits.

FTTC combines fibre optic and copper cable to create a circuit that provides faster speeds than cheaper internet circuits.

FTTC: How Does it Work?

To create an FTTC circuit, fibre cabling runs from the exchange to the roadside cabinet. Data is then transmitted over copper cabling from the cabinet to your building.

This circuit still utilises copper cabling, but data is transmitted for a greater distance over fibre. Speed is retained when data is sent over a fibre line to the cabinet, so the end point user enjoys higher speeds.

Here are a few key selling points of FTTC:

• Faster than ADSL
• Cost-Effective
• Carried Primarily Over Fibre

FTTC is Faster than ADSL

Fibre to the cabinet internet circuits provide significantly faster speeds than ADSL.

ADSL users can expect down speeds of up to 16Mbps at best. FTTC users can expect down speeds of 80Mbps. The speed differences between the two can be crucially important for businesses depending on broadband requirements.

Cost-Effective

FTTC is a cost-effective solution for all businesses.

Installation is inexpensive, particularly when compared with a circuit such as a leased line.

This Internet Circuit is Primarily Fibre

This internet circuit is made up primarily of fibre, which can carry data at an incredibly fast rate.

Whereas an ADSL circuit is entirely copper from the exchange to your property, copper is only a small part of an FTTC circuit.

With an FTTC circuit, you can typically expect faster speeds than ADSL because of these factors.

Why FTTC Sometimes Isn’t the Right Circuit

Is FTTC the right circuit for you? Possibly not, depending on the unique demands of your business.

Here are some FTTC negatives to look at before selecting it as an internet circuit for your business:

• Contended Line
• Lack of Availability
• Limited SLAs
• Copper Still Used

FTTC is Contended

As with ADSL and all internet circuits but leased lines and wireless leased lines, FTTC circuits are contended.

Fibre optic cables from the exchange reach the cabinet, where the line is split between several customers. Unfortunately, this does mean that you are unlikely to enjoy the advertised ‘up to’ speeds.

Copper Still Makes Up Part of the Circuit

Copper wire is still used to complete the connection to your building. Because copper carries data at a significantly slower rate than fibre, you won’t experience excellent speeds with this circuit as a result.

Your connection is slowed down by the switch from fibre cabling to copper. If your business has high download and upload speeds requirements, this isn’t the right circuit for you.

FTTC Isn’t Available Everywhere

While FTTC has higher availability than some internet circuits, it isn’t available everywhere in the UK.

If your business is based in a rural area, FTTC might not be available to you.

We can find out whether FTTC is available to your business. Contact us today and we’ll explain your options free of charge.

FTTP

FTTP is an internet circuit that can offer impressive speeds at an impressive price.

FTTP stands for fibre to the premises. This internet circuit is a fully-fibre connection, straight from the exchange to your building.

Unlike FTTC, fibre runs straight to your building without utilising copper from the roadside cabinet. A full fibre solution such as FTTP will mean faster speeds for your business.

Your distance from the exchange and roadside cabinet doesn’t have an impact on the speed of your internet when the connection is delivered over fibre cabling.

Is FTTP the Right Circuit for You?

FTTP is one of the best internet circuits for small and medium sized businesses, depending on usage demands.

If your business is reliant on internet to operate, FTTP or a better circuit is an essential.

Here are a select few fibre to the premises benefits to be aware of:

• Certain SLAs
• High ‘Up to’ Speeds
• Distance from Exchange Unimportant

There Are SLAs in Place

Fibre to the premises is a business-grade internet circuit.

As a business-grade circuit, businesses using FTTP will have certain requirements and will need their internet to be available at all times.

FTTP circuits normally have certain SLAs. For example, there are guaranteed fix times if your fibre connection suddenly stops working.

High ‘Up to’ Speeds

FTTP obviously utilises fibre lines, meaning high speeds can be achieved if you choose this internet circuit.

FTTP lines can support speeds of up to 1Gbps down and 200Mbps up. FTTP ‘up to’ speeds are more than enough for the majority of small to medium sized businesses.

It Doesn’t Matter Where You’re Located

FTTP is a purely fibre connection, directly from the exchange to your business’s doorstep. As fibre can carry data at incredible speeds no matter the distance, the location of your building in relation to the exchange is unimportant.

FTTP isn’t available to all, but if it’s available to your business, it’s important to remember that distance from the exchange or roadside cabinet doesn’t impact your speeds.

Downsides to be Aware of

FTTP might not be the right option for your business, because of these downsides:

• Contended line
• Lack of Availability
• No Guaranteed Speeds

This Internet Circuit is Contended

As with all internet circuits other than leased lines, FTTP is contended.

If a line is contended, it means that other businesses near yours might be using the same fibre connection.

It is important to be aware of contention, because contention could impact the download and upload speeds that you experience.

FTTP Isn’t Available Everywhere

Fibre to the premises is one of the latest internet circuits to hit the market. As a result, it isn’t available everywhere.

FTTP is usually only available in highly populated areas of the UK. If you are based in a rural area, this circuit might not be available to you.

‘Up to’ Speeds Are Not Guaranteed

We’ve already said that fibre to the premises internet circuits are capable of supporting 1Gbps down and 200Mbps up in most cases. However, that doesn’t mean that you will have these speeds.

FTTP is contended, meaning the line from the exchange is split between multiple businesses. Also, there are no speed SLAs on offer. Ultimately, these factors mean speeds aren’t guaranteed and your internet might be a lot slower than the ‘up to’ speeds initially suggest.

Wireless Leased Lines

Want the benefits of a leased line without having to actually install a leased line?

We use advanced equipment and our mast to provide leased line speeds without the expensive infrastructure.

To establish a wireless leased line, all that is needed is a clear line of sight to connect our mast and your building.

A wireless leased line is one of the best internet circuits for any business. Here’s why:

• Superfast Speeds
• Low Installation Costs
• Uncontended
• Quick Installation

Wireless Leased Lines Provide Superfast Speeds

The speeds of wireless leased lines do differ depending on your requirements, but you decide the speed you receive. You could have speeds parallel to those provided by a traditional leased line with a wireless leased line.

A wireless leased line can offer speeds from 10Mbps to 2Gbps depending on your requirements. As we establish the wireless connection, we can guarantee speeds for you.

Wireless Leased Lines Don’t Cost a Fortune to Install

The installation of a wireless leased line is low, as it is a completely wireless solution. No cabling needs to be installed, which would be necessary with circuits such as standard leased lines and FTTP.

We use advanced wireless technology to establish a connection between our mast and your building, removing the requirements for any cabling to be installed.

A Wireless Leased Line is an Uncontended Circuit

Both wired and wireless leased lines are entirely uncontended circuits dedicated for the use of a business.

A wireless leased line connects our mast and a business’s property directly. The connection is not split and used to provide internet for multiple locations or businesses.

An uncontended circuit such as a wireless leased line means guaranteed speeds for your business. The days of ‘up to’ speeds are long gone when you choose a leased line circuit.

Wireless Leased Lines Can Be Established Quickly

Considering every internet circuit available to businesses, wireless leased lines can be installed comparatively quickly.

An internet circuit such as a leased line will take months to install, whereas wireless leased lines can be installed and operational within a few weeks.

Is A Wireless Leased Line Available to You?

A wireless leased line won’t be available to everyone, as a result of two important factors:

• Transmission Distance is Limited
• Clear Line of Sight is Required

The Transmission Distance of a Wireless Leased Line is Limited

Data can only be transmitted over a limited distance wirelessly due to line of sight requirements. As a result, wireless leased lines cannot be established if your business is out of the range of our mast.

Clear Line of Sight is a Necessity

For a stable wireless connection, clear line of sight is required at all times. If a clear line of sight cannot be established between our mast and your building, installing a wireless leased line would be impossible.

Internet Circuits: Which is Best?

We’ve taken a look at some of the most popular internet circuit. Now the question is which circuit is best for your business?

Differing requirements mean the right internet circuit for one business might not be the right one for another.

99% of the time, ADSL won’t be the right internet circuit for a business. Unless ADSL is the only circuit available to your business, exploring other options is necessary.

For most businesses of all sizes, FTTP, a leased line or a wireless leased line is the best option. All three internet circuits are reliable, include SLAs and are cost-effective – especially when you consider the gigabit voucher scheme.

If you are still unsure about which internet circuit to choose, contact us. Here at Optionbox, we’re more than happy to offer you free, no-obligation advice, because we understand how important it is to have the right internet circuit.