Comparing Broadband vs. Leased Line: Which Suits Your Business Needs?
When you need to decide on the best internet connection for your business, the options seem endless. You’ll come across broadband companies and leased line providers, each offering high-speed connections. Now, the question is: which one is better for your business, leased line or broadband?
If your priority is speed, then leased lines are faster. However, it’s important to consider other factors, such as the applications you use and the size of your network, to make the right decision.
In this blog, we’ll cover:
- What is a leased line
- Compare leased lines vs. broadband
- The step-by-step process to set up your connection
- Factors to consider when deciding between a leased line and broadband
Looking for reliable internet leased line service providers in Bangalore? Find the best options for your business here!
What is a Leased Line? How Does it Work?
A leased line internet connection provides a dedicated line exclusively for your business. Thus, your internet speed and reliability won’t be affected by other users in your area. On the other hand, broadband connections are shared among multiple users on the public internet, so the speed may decrease during busy times.
One of the benefits of leased lines is that they offer equal upload and download speeds. In contrast, broadband connections have variable speeds, with fast download rates but much slower upload speeds.
Looking for reliable internet leased line service providers in Bangalore? Find the best options for your business here!
What are the Differences Between Leased Lines vs Broadband?
Leased line or broadband: which one should you pick? To help you decide, let’s compare them.
Speed
With a leased line package, if it promises a speed of 30Mbps, you’ll consistently get that speed without any exceptions. On the other hand, broadband speeds don’t live up to the advertised capacity. This is because broadband connections don’t offer full dedicated bandwidth.
The reason for this difference lies in their setup. Leased lines have dedicated bandwidth, meaning the connection is solely for your use. However, broadband subscribers share their lines with other users. This sharing reduces connection speeds, especially during busy times, even if you have high-speed broadband technology like Fiber to The Cabinet (FTTC) or an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL).
Looking for reliable internet leased line service providers in Bangalore? Find the best options for your business here!
Latency
Have you ever felt frustrated when an action, like downloading an important document or joining a video conference, takes too long to respond? This delay is often caused by high latency, which is common with broadband connections.
With a leased line, you get a dedicated connection; therefore, it has lower latency. Unlike broadband, leased lines provide a consistent and guaranteed low-latency connection directly linking your business equipment to the Internet Service Provider’s (ISP’s) data centre.
Looking for reliable internet leased line service providers in Bangalore? Find the best options for your business here!
Scalability
As your business grows, its requirements change over time. In the beginning, when your premises are small, and you have fewer employees, you might not need a lot of bandwidth. However, as you expand, you’ll want the flexibility to easily increase your bandwidth whenever necessary.
Likewise, there might be times when you need to scale down your services. For example, to cut costs, streamline operations, or if your business experiences seasonal fluctuations.
When comparing broadband and leased line, the latter option provides you with more control, which is especially valuable as your business needs to evolve and change.
Looking for reliable internet leased line service providers in Bangalore? Find the best options for your business here!
Is a Leased Line Better for Your Business than Broadband?
Let’s look at some additional points when deciding between broadband and a leased line:
Connection speed
Do your employees frequently use video conferencing or need to send large files? If that’s the case, your regular broadband’s upload speed won’t be enough to handle these tasks effectively.
To address this, you can purchase packages from providers that prioritise business users. This way, you can avoid the common issues related to contention, which can otherwise affect your productivity and profits.
Looking for reliable internet leased line service providers in Bangalore? Find the best options for your business here!
Business needs
Regular broadband might be sufficient if you have fewer employees who mainly use the internet for basic tasks like running queries and downloading files.
However, a leased line would be better if your business heavily relies on seamless access to cloud-based systems, video-conferencing software, and other online services.
Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
Leased line connectivity providers often offer ‘Service Availability Guarantees’ or ‘Uptime Guarantees,’ which means they promise to address any service issues within a specific timeframe.
While some broadband providers might offer similar guarantees, most of them don’t. And even among those that do, their fix times are usually longer. This could result in extended periods of downtime, which can be a problem for businesses that rely on uninterrupted services to stay profitable.
Looking for reliable internet leased line service providers in Bangalore? Find the best options for your business here!
Setting Up a Leased Line Connection For Your Business
After considering the benefits and drawbacks of leased lines vs. broadband, if you find that the leased line option suits your business better, you might be wondering how to set it up.
Once you place an order with us, the project will move to the planning and survey stage. We will plan the fiber routes or check if fiber is already available at your location.
If there is no existing connection, the ISP will arrange for a new circuit to be set up. This may involve laying new fiber cables to connect your business premises.
However, if a connection already exists, the provider will simply install an antenna on the roof of your building. This process is quick and causes minimal disruption. Once everything is connected, you’re good to go with your leased line.
Looking for reliable internet leased line service providers in Bangalore? Find the best options for your business here!
The Next Step
First, check if your current broadband is causing any issues. If it’s not, ask the following questions:
- Are you planning to acquire more premises?
- Do you plan to increase your workforce?
- Are you thinking of transitioning to cloud-based systems?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, it’s better to switch to a leased line before facing problems.
Looking for reliable internet leased line service providers in Bangalore? Find the best options for your business here!
Broadband, on the other hand, has its own advantages. You can have static IP addresses for remote internet connections or use them for CCTV. Also, you can add email, cloud services, and recovery plans to your subscription when needed.
However, if your business relies heavily on the internet and cannot function without a continuous connection, if you have more than ten employees (including both on-site and remote workers), and if you use cloud-based applications and frequently transfer large files, then a leased line is highly recommended.
Looking for reliable internet leased line service providers in Bangalore? Find the best options for your business here!
About Nurture IT
Nurture IT, one of the leading IT infra consulting agencies in Bangalore, offers customised scalable technology solutions specifically designed for our client’s unique needs. Our solutions accelerate growth, reduce costs and enable collaboration. As a preferred partner to technology leaders like Microsoft and Cisco, we deploy the most advanced business technology solutions to ensure optimal reliability, productivity and value.
Want to work with us? Call us, email us, or visit us. We’d be happy to discuss your needs and goals.
