Connectivity Products for UK Businesses

Why it’s Important to Choose the Right Connectivity Solution

Selecting the appropriate connectivity solution for your business enhances efficiency, enables seamless communication, and ensures business continuity. Conversely, the wrong solution may hamper productivity but can also escalate costs and hinder growth.

Speed and reliability

The first consideration is your speed and reliability requirements. For example, a law firm handling large digital case files needs a robust solution like FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) to manage heavy data traffic efficiently. Opting for a less capable option like ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) might lead to frustrating slow file transfers and reduced productivity.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is another crucial factor when considering connectivity for your business. Selecting a solution that doesn’t cater to your bandwidth needs can lead to congested networks, especially during peak hours.

For businesses heavily reliant on cloud services or VoIP communications, such as tech startups or digital marketing agencies, a contended broadband service such as FTTC or FTTP may cause connectivity challenges.

Scalability

You want a scalable connectivity solution that can grow as your business evolves. If you expect your business to grow over the next 12 to 18 months, basic broadband connectivity such as FTTC or FTTP may cause bottlenecks, impeding growth and incur costly upgrades.

Service Level Agreement Considerations

Another important consideration is understanding the service level agreement for the various connectivity solutions. For standard broadband services, technicians typically fix faults by the next business day. In contrast, with ethernet services, you can expect a much faster response — issues are often resolved within just 6 hours, seven days a week.

Asynchronous vs. Symmetric Connectivity

Asynchronous and symmetric connectivity refers to an internet connection upload and download speeds.

  • Asynchronous: Upload and download speeds are different. Typically, download speeds are faster.
  • Symmetric: Equal upload and download speeds, providing a balanced data transfer experience.

ADSL Broadband – Legacy Copper

  • Speeds: 1Mbs to 24Mbs
  • Install lead-time: 1 to 5 working days.
  • Connectivity: asynchronous (upload speed is less than download speed)
  • Availability: Subject to geographic availability

ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. Often referred to as copper broadband, it provides an internet connection using existing phone lines. An ADSL service divides these lines into separate channels for voice and data, enabling you to use the phone and browse the internet simultaneously.

Unlike newer fibre options, ADSL relies on legacy copper wires. The ‘asymmetric’ part means that download speeds are faster than upload speeds, catering to typical internet usage where downloading is more frequent than uploading.

FTTC Broadband – Fibre to the Cabinet

  • Speeds: 2Mbs to 80Mbs depending on line conditions
  • Install lead-time:  From 5 working days, subject to appointment availability.
  • Connectivity: asynchronous (upload speed is less than download speed)
  • Availability: Subject to geographic availability

Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) runs fibre optic cables to your local street cabinet, and from there, copper wires connect to your premises.

This setup offers a significant speed and reliability upgrade from traditional ADSL broadband, as the majority of the journey for the data is via faster fibre optic cables. However, the final leg of the connection using copper wires means that FTTC doesn’t reach the same speeds as full-fibre solutions like FTTP.

Advantages

  • Faster than standard ADSL broadband: Offers higher speeds compared to ADSL, suitable for more data-intensive activities.
  • Cost-effective transition to fibre: A middle-ground solution more affordable than full fibre options.
  • Wider availability: Accessible in many areas that don’t yet have full-fibre infrastructure.