We live in an age where businesses and consumers want information and data at the end of their fingertips. The demand for knowledge has grown and the ability to research and deliver on key information is becoming increasingly so. One of the best ways to achieve this is through a premium internet connection and you won’t get much more premium than a leased line. Here, the team address some of the most commonly asked questions on leased line solutions.
Q: Can anyone have a leased line?
A: Leased lines work in parallel with the existing telephone network infrastructure and are able to offer a wide and varied geographical coverage. They are, however, only available in parts of the country that are well served, unlike other connectivity solutions such as broadband. There are plans and proposals to continually improve the infrastructure for improved internet connectivity across the UK, but for the time being companies located in rural areas must assess on an individual basis their upstream bandwidth requirements prior to selecting a solution and location.
Q: What is the lead time for a leased line?
A: An exact lead time cannot be provided and is always on a case by case basis. For the provision of a new connection, you would expect the process taking anywhere between 45 and 65 working days, but delays are a strong possibility. It is vital that a line of communication is kept between the ISP and the customer to ensure delays are kept to a minimum.
Q: How easy is it to switch providers of my leased line connection?
A: It is a simple enough process to orchestrate and similar to that of a standard internet connection or telephone line. The advantage of doing so is the consistent reduction in prices of these connections means you are likely to get it cheaper. If you are out of contract then you are likely to be paying an older (and higher) price. It also means you are likely to get more bandwidth or a better bearer for your money in the process. Perhaps the only downside in the process is losing your IP addresses – however you will get a new range
.
Q: How fast is a leased line?
A: Bandwidth can range from 64Kbps through to 10Gbps. Speak with your provider to check your connectivity speed.
Q: Is a leased line suitable for heavy bandwidth use?
A: In short, yes. Leased lines are a permanently available and offer the most reliable and resilient method of access. Companies are not competing with other users for the bandwidth and enable businesses to place higher levels of dependency on the internet.
Q: Is there a service level agreement? (SLA)
A: Yes, leased lines are, as discussed, a premium service and come with strict up time guarantees. A downtime in connections can come with a financial rebate for lack of service. The following downtime guarantees are industry standard for unplanned outages.
SLA Maximum number of downtime per month (mins)
99.5% 216 minutes per month downtime
99.9% 43.2 minutes per month downtime 99.99% 4.32 minutes per month downtime 99.999% 0.432 minutes per month downtime
All approved service providers will provide reasonable notice of planned outages and network maintenance that fall outside the standard SLA.
Q: What can I use a leased line for?
A: Leased lines are a suitable option for various requirements. There are no restrictions on leased lines and usage, just so long as the correct size and speed of the line will support your business now and into the future. You can use it for standard internet access, to connect to internal or external servers or to connect offices together via a VPN. The possibilities with a leased line connection are endless.
Q: What size leased line would suit my business?
A: That will depend completely on what the connection is to be used for, the applications running and the number of users. Your ISP will be able to advise you depending on the scenario and requirements.
Q: What is the difference between copper and fibre?
A: The difference between the two is that fibre-optics use light pulses to transmit information down a fibre line, instead of using electronic pulses to transmit information down copper lines. In this day and age, all core networks are based on fibre due to higher speed capability. In addition to this, fibre optic cables cost much less to maintain and are a much more modern form of data transport. However, copper is still regularly used as the last mile to an exchange when fibre is present.
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