Business Broadband

Business Broadband

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Business broadband is designed to cater the specific needs of small & medium sized businesses (SME), large businesses and the individuals who run their firms at home or prefer to work from home.

Business grade broadband service ensures you get speedier and more reliable internet to meet office requirements as well as  24/7 UK based customer support all year round.

We feature the UK’s most reliable, business broadband providers with their latest packages and exclusive offers.  Also find our guide related to features, ISPs and tips to find the best deal that suits your needs.

Advantages of business broadband

Broadband for business usually comes with different features, specification and pricing, comparing to home broadband packages.Generally, business broadband package is preferred for the reasons like reliable, faster connection speeds, better security features and prompt technical support.

You may like to consider a business broadband service, when:

  • Your business, its functioning and growth require a more reliable broadband service than what you are using now.
  • Your business is growing – many employees, lot of clients – and you want to ensure that you are able to communicate with your partners, employees, clients daily or whenever you need to.
  • You are running an online business with a large back-office infrastructure and you cannot imagine a single minute without broadband connectivity.
  • You need to upload or download large amounts of internet data, such as for web publishing needs.

Business broadband providers in the UK

Major broadband providers in the UK such as BT, Plusnet, TalkTalk and XLN Telecom offer a wide range of business packages to their customers.

The packages include features such as free wireless support & high end wireless routers, free webspace, advanced internet security tools,  premium customer service and wi-fi hotspot access.

BT Business

BT offers an extensive range of packages which allow customers to get capped or uncapped usage or add call plans that can best suit their requirements.

Standard plans which come with ‘up to’ 17Mbps download speed and 10GB/unlimied usage allowance are ideal for start ups & small firms and for those who work at home.

Business fibre packages (Infinity) offer standard speed of ‘up to’ 76Mbps (up to 19Mb upload speed) and unlimited usage/50GB with options to add call plans  or broadband only deals.

One free static IP is included in premium Infinity packages.

BT also offers leased lines, an expensive ultra fast service to large firms which can get up to 10Gbps download/upload speeds and unlimited usage.

BT also offers business phone lines, telephone and cloud phone systems to small and large firms.

Using its 4G network, BT also offers business mobile packages which include SIM only 4G plans and contract mobile phones bundled with various monthly plans.

TalkTalk Business

Whether you need standard broadband or fibre or business phone or ultra fast lines, TalkTalk Business is a great solution for all your needs as you can find a wide range of tailored packages that would perfectly fit small, medium and large firms.

If you need just PAYG calls with standard (up to 17Mbps) or fibre broadband (up to 76Mbps), you can choose Simply broadband which includes free wireless router and 1 Static IP.

With Complete broadband, you are additionally provided with unlimited UK landline and mobile calls, 4 static IP addresses and free premises move and free business call features

All TalkTalk business broadband packages include WorkSafe business internet security, 7 day UK based business customer support and Talk2Go feature.

TalkTalk business fibre broadband comes with ‘up to’ 76Mbps download speed and ‘up to’ 20Mbps upload speed and totally unlimited downloads.

TalkTalk also offers Leased line or Ethernet over Fibre (EoFTTC) and Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) to large businesses that need faster speeds and 100% reliable connectivity all the time. There will be consistent speeds of up to 20Mbps or can be upgraded to 76Mbps speeds.

Ethernet Access Direct (EAD) service is dedicated broadband line which can deliver up to 1Gbps speeds.

Along with business phone, TalkTalk also offers IP voice services such as SIP Trunks and Hosted Voice which are more reliable and cost effective solution for growing companies.

TalkTalk has its own mobile division which offers 4G SIM only plans, handsets and tablets with a wide range of data & mobile calls plans which are tailored for business needs.

Virgin Media Business

Cable based Virgin Media Business broadband offers top speeds of up to 200Mbps and unlimited downloads while its up to 300Mbps service is available in selected cities in the UK.

Other benefits include UK based, 24/7 customer service and multiple options to combine broadband and phone to suit your needs.

bOnline

bOnline offers much faster speeds (24Mbps) when compared to 17Mbps on entry level package from other providers. Cheap line rental, flexible 12 month contract and dedicated UK based customer support.

All packages – Business Broadband, Broadband Business Plus and Fibre Broadband include free installation, wireless router, a free Domain and 2 Business Mails. 5GB hosting space for website is available at no extra cost.

However, static IP addresses are optional add-on which would cost extra.

bOnline fibre packages come with up to 40Mbps and 80Mbps speeds. Free installation and 18 month contract apply.

 Toople

Business broadband offered by Toople.com is one of the cheapest options for small firms to consider. There is no hidden cost while the packages include extras like static IP  at no extra cost.

Offering both standard ADSL and superfast fibre packages, Toople monthly costs start from £24 including line rental. Free connection is available with specific packages.

Along with broadband for business firms, Toople services also include business phone and mobile at affordable prices.

Toople’s 24/7 customer support is UK based and is dedicated to help you fix all issues related to service.

After sign up, you are given a 24-hour cooling off period to make any changes as you wish.

Woav Business Broadband

Woav is a flexible business ISP for small and SMEs across the UK. There is a wide range of flexible options available in terms of speed, add-ons and contract length.

You can just choose broadband and phone bundle or just broadband plan with a suitable contract length  you prefer –  12 month or 24 month or 1 month.

Woav business broadband offers both standard service and superfast fibre with 17Mbps and 76Mbps download speed respectively.

New business line (if you require), installation and router are included. You can get free static IP if you need.

Woav is one of the cheapest business broadband provider which can help you cut the cost by half, when compared to BT and the monthly prices start from just £10

XLN Telecom

XLN is an ideal provider for small firms that look out for low cost business broadband options with essential features like 24/7 UK based technical support and online security.

Totally unlimited broadband usage, faster upload speeds, inclusive UK landline and mobile calls, free email and fibre broadband availability are some of the best features of XLN business service.

Features of business broadband

Speeds

Download speeds 2Mb, 8Mb and 24Mb are available for business users. Business ISPs use special type of broadband technology (SDSL) to offer better upload speeds (1 – 2 Mb) as you may need to upload large amount data to the web during office hours. Fibre-optic broadband offers faster speeds than what is offered through old copper lines. Most business broadband providers have upgraded their services to this technology.Other factor you need to look is the network contention of your broadband line which means how many users will be allowed to share the line’s bandwidth. Low contention like 20:1 or less ensures faster speeds and is ideal for a growing business.

Network support

Networking multiple computers to share resources and information is vital for growing businesses. Business broadband packages allow you to network, but a limited number of computers n your office. Depending on the size of your business and workforce, you may choose the specific package that suits your needs. If your provider offers wireless networking support (wireless router), you get an additional feature of using wireless broadband network in your office space. You can setup multiple computers apart without cables, yet connecting and using broadband internet.

Bundling VoIP call services

If your business has many overseas customers, making VoIP calls is better option than using landline phone or mobile for this purpose.

Some business broadband packages come bundled with VoIP which offer not only cheaper calls to international destinations but also offer absolutely free call service to selected locations.

Static IP address

One of the features that you would find useful with business broadband service is free Static IP address. With a static IP, you can setup your own email addresses with domain name to give unique identity to your business. Your emails are directly received here, unlike using yahoo or Gmail.

Most business broadband providers also offer free web space along with free static IP so you may launch a professional website to promote and expand your business operations.

Emails

With this feature, you can setup email addresses for your employees, various departments for efficient interaction and communication purposes, apart from its giving a unique identity to your business among your competitors.

Advanced Internet Security

With business broadband deals, you usually get complete internet security features like anti-virus software, anti-spyware, spam filters etc. Some premium packages also offer advanced levels of security like extra firewalls and online data back-up facilities.

Customer support prioritized

While offering 24/7 free, customer support, business ISPs also ensure that your calls are prioritized means there is less waiting time. Seeing the importance of broadband internet for your business, providers usually give assurance to fix the problems within a time-frame.

Price

Comparing to home broadband deals, business broadband packages may sound more expensive. However, the higher cost is certainly justified, when we look at the extra features that come with business broadband.

Price is also an important factor when you compare business broadband deals. Make sure that the best offer includes all the features explained above.

How to find the best business broadband deal?

  • Choose the right speeds and download limits.
  • Look at the contention ratio. Lower contention of 20:1 or less is fine. It means fast speeds. (Home users get 50:1 broadband line)
  • Check out how many users can access broadband from their devices. See that you get wireless features. i.e., wireless routers
  • Make sure that you get free static IP option.
  • Check to see that your business broadband ISP offers free webspace
  • Check to see how many email addresses you can setup
  • Can you get free 24/7 customer support with assurance to fix your problems within a timeframe? How long do you need to wait when you try to contact the ISP customer support team? Make sure that your get prioritized support to ensure that your calls get promptly attended in emergency.
  • Finally, price. After analyzing your requirements and checking the features of business broadband packages, compare the prices to find the best offer.