On a very basic level, business connectivity is how a business connects to the internet. But it’s so much more than that, it’s now an enabler for a business’s communications. It empowers almost every communication tool in a business, including both physical and digital products such as cloud-based telephony, mobile and Office 365.
As we move towards a remote workforce, it’s important that businesses can support the needs of their systems and users. Slow, underpowered, or unreliable internet hinders productivity, while increasing frustration and stress for staff. Whereas good connectivity, empowers productivity, keeps staff agile and positively impacts output.
When we look at business connectivity, there are two main products currently available in market, with a myriad of options in between. These products are broadband and leased line (with variations of both). This article outlines the products available, some of its key benefits and why you should choose River Technologies for your connectivity needs.
A closer look at Business Broadband
Broadband is a service that enables a customer to connect to the internet over fixed infrastructure in the ground. It’s always on, reliable and cost-effective, with a dedicated router or wireless modem installed that acts as a gateway for the internet connection.
There are many variations of broadband using either copper or fibre cables. Here are the key options, and who each solution might be suitable for.
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) – Small business customers
ADSL is a connection that runs over home telephone lines, with a copper line running from the exchange to the premises. It can deliver download speeds of up to 17Mbps and upload speeds of up to 1Mbps, and is best suited to users who want low bandwidth consumption at a relatively low cost.
It should be noted that ADSL will only be offered where fibre is not available after September 2023, in line with Openreach’ plans to switch off the PSTN and ISDN by 2025.
Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) – Small and medium sized business customers
FTTC is a superfast broadband solution that does what it says on the tin, it carries the connection to the cabinet via fibre rather than copper, and then uses copper cables the rest of the way. It’s more resilient, delivers faster speeds and is currently being rolled out across the UK.
The users speed is dictated by the length and quality of the copper line, but speeds of up to 80Mbps download and 20Mbps upload can be achieved. It’s a cost-effective solution ideal for small and medium sized businesses using applications that require more bandwidth such as cloud-based services.
Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) – Large business customers
FTTP is a full fibre solution that delivers a connection all the way from the exchange to the business premises. As a result, it’s the solution that guarantees the highest speeds in the market up to 330Mbps download and 50Mbps upload.
FTTP is both fast, but also stable, as the speed does not deteriorate depending on distance. It supports and underpins critical applications and over the top services such as VoIP and cloud apps, eventually allowing businesses to transition to an all IP solution.
FTTP involves physically installing fibre cables to towns and cities and is currently rolling out across the UK. For this reason, its availability may be limited, and so we encourage you to get in touch for the most up-to-date information.
The future of broadband
Broadband is set to evolve considerably this decade, with the PSTN and ISDN switch off coming in 2025. New products and infrastructure are entering the market to prepare businesses big and small for the digital future, including SOGEA which delivers the same speeds as FTTC without needing a copper line to sit on making it more cost effective.
What about leased line?
A leased line is a point-to-point symmetric dedicated data connection. The key difference to mainstream broadband is that the connection is dedicated, meaning that all along the route of your leased line the bandwidth you need is reserved solely for your use. This means no disruption at peak times which you might expect with consumer internet connections.
The key advantages to a leased line are faster speeds (as much as 1Gbps), symmetric transmission (the same speeds for upload and download) better reliability and lower latency. As a dedicated (unshared) service, businesses also benefit from improved service availability and repair times in the unlikely event their service is disrupted.
The main downside to a leased line, depending on how you look at it, is the cost. Because it is a dedicated service, it’s naturally more expensive to install and so the monthly outlays can be quite high, however, if you were to compare this to the money lost on downtime or lack of speed on regular broadband, you might find that the cost is negligible.
Connectivity products as the enabler
The importance of connectivity cannot be understated in creating an efficient and productive workforce. It enables businesses to unify their comms and deliver excellent service out to customers, while keeping staff motivation and productivity high. It wraps around everything that is successful in terms of business communications both internal and external.
Not having a robust connectivity solution can cost businesses in the long run. Slow speeds and downtime impacts productivity, which in turn impacts customer experience and the bottom line at the end of the financial year – connectivity is key.
And, with the PSTN Switch Off looming, it’s vital that businesses evaluate their connectivity options now, to avoid falling behind and investing in a solution that has no longevity.
Why choose River Technologies?
At River Technologies, we treat customers differently. All of our products and services are backed by our service promise, which brings together our people, experience, personalised service and solutions. You can view more of what makes us different here.
River Technologies is an aggregator, working with the best suppliers in the market to deliver the best solution for our customers. Why not challenge us to review your IT and telecoms setup to see what we can do for you?
