Dedicated internet connectivity for businesses that cannot afford unreliable performance
Your internet connection may now carry almost everything your organisation needs to operate.
It supports Microsoft 365, cloud applications, Hosted Voice, Microsoft Teams, customer systems, remote access, video conferencing, backups and security services.
When the connection becomes slow or unavailable, the impact can spread across the whole business.
Employees cannot work properly. Customer calls are affected. Cloud systems become inaccessible, and important meetings are interrupted.
Standard business broadband may provide enough performance for many organisations.
But where internet access is business-critical, shared broadband may not provide the consistency, upload capacity or service commitment you need.
A leased line provides dedicated internet connectivity reserved for your organisation.
Stratiis can help you assess whether a leased line is justified, compare available services and design the router, firewall, failover and wider network around it.
Dedicated capacity. Symmetrical speeds. Connectivity designed around the cost of downtime.
What is a leased line?
A leased line is a dedicated data connection provided for the exclusive use of your organisation.
Unlike standard broadband, where network capacity may be shared with other customers, the leased-line bandwidth is committed to your service.
A leased line can provide:
- Dedicated bandwidth
- Symmetrical download and upload speeds
- Consistent performance
- Lower and more predictable delay
- Business-grade support
- Stronger repair commitments
- Static IP addresses
- Scalability
- Managed router options
- Support for cloud services
- Support for Hosted Voice
- Support for multi-site networking
A leased line may connect your business directly to the internet.
It may also be used to connect offices, data centres, cloud environments or other business locations.
Is your current broadband creating a business risk?
You may need to consider a leased line when:
- Internet performance changes throughout the day
- Upload speeds are too low
- Video meetings regularly break up
- Hosted Voice calls are affected
- Cloud applications become slow during busy periods
- Large files take too long to upload
- Cloud backups affect employee performance
- Several offices depend on central systems
- Your organisation has a customer contact centre
- An internet outage would stop most employees working
- The repair terms on your current service are inadequate
- Your business continues to grow
- You need more consistent performance
- Security or remote access requires stable addressing
- You need clearer service ownership
These problems do not automatically mean you need a leased line.
The issue may involve the router, firewall, Wi-Fi, internal network or application.
Stratiis reviews the whole environment before recommending a more expensive connection.
How is a leased line different from business broadband?
Both services provide internet access.
The main differences relate to how the capacity is delivered, the service commitments and the expected performance.
Business broadband may offer:
- Lower monthly costs
- Faster installation
- High advertised download speeds
- Good performance for many small and medium businesses
- Full Fibre options
- Static IP addresses
- Business support
However, it may also provide:
- Shared bandwidth
- Lower upload speeds
- Variable performance
- Less demanding repair targets
- Fewer service guarantees
A leased line may provide:
- Dedicated bandwidth
- Symmetrical speeds
- More consistent performance
- Stronger service-level commitments
- Faster repair targets
- Greater scalability
- Better support for critical systems
It normally costs more and can take longer to install.
The right choice depends on the business impact of poor performance or an outage.
Key leased-line features
Dedicated bandwidth
Dedicated bandwidth means the agreed capacity is reserved for your organisation.
If you purchase a 500 Mbps leased line, the service is designed to deliver that committed capacity rather than advertising an "up to" figure shared with neighbouring users.
This can provide more predictable performance for:
- Microsoft Teams
- Video conferencing
- Hosted Voice
- Cloud applications
- File transfers
- Cloud backup
- Remote working
- Customer portals
- Multi-site systems
- Large numbers of simultaneous users
The connection can still be affected by local network problems, firewalls, devices or cloud applications.
Dedicated bandwidth removes one common source of inconsistency, but it does not replace good network design.
Symmetrical download and upload speeds
A leased line commonly provides the same speed in both directions.
For example:
- 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload
- 500 Mbps download and 500 Mbps upload
- 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload
This is known as symmetrical connectivity.
Upload speed is important when your organisation:
- Uses video conferencing
- Runs Hosted Voice
- Transfers large files
- Performs cloud backups
- Hosts customer-facing services
- Uses remote desktops
- Uploads media
- Operates CCTV
- Connects several offices
- Sends large amounts of data to cloud systems
Standard broadband often provides much lower upload than download speed.
A leased line can remove that imbalance.
Committed Information Rate
A leased-line proposal may refer to a Committed Information Rate, often shortened to CIR.
This is the amount of bandwidth the provider commits to making available to your organisation.
The proposal should make clear:
- The committed speed
- Whether it is symmetrical
- The bearer size
- Whether the full bearer is active
- How upgrades work
- What service levels apply
- Whether the bandwidth is dedicated
A service with a high headline bearer but a lower committed bandwidth should not be confused with a fully active connection at the bearer's maximum capacity.
What is a bearer?
The bearer is the maximum capacity of the physical or logical connection installed.
For example, your organisation might purchase:
- 200 Mbps service on a 1 Gbps bearer
- 500 Mbps service on a 1 Gbps bearer
- 1 Gbps service on a 1 Gbps bearer
- 1 Gbps service on a larger bearer
A larger bearer can make future speed increases easier because the underlying connection may already support more capacity.
You should understand:
- Current active bandwidth
- Bearer capacity
- Upgrade costs
- Upgrade timescales
- Contract implications
Paying for a larger bearer can be sensible where significant growth is expected.
It may be unnecessary where usage is unlikely to increase.
What leased-line speed does your business need?
The correct speed depends on:
- Number of employees
- Cloud application use
- Video meeting volumes
- Hosted Voice calls
- File sizes
- Cloud backup
- Remote access
- Customer Wi-Fi
- CCTV
- Connected devices
- Multi-site traffic
- Future growth
A small professional-services firm may operate comfortably on a lower-capacity leased line.
A contact centre, housing association or organisation with several offices may require much more.
We consider:
- Current bandwidth use
- Busy-hour performance
- Upload demand
- Number of simultaneous meetings
- Voice traffic
- Backup traffic
- Growth plans
- Resilience requirements
The goal is to provide enough capacity without paying for bandwidth the organisation is unlikely to use.
Is a 100 Mbps leased line enough?
It may be.
A 100 Mbps symmetrical leased line can support many small and medium-sized organisations, particularly where usage is well managed.
Suitability depends on:
- Number of users
- Number of simultaneous Teams meetings
- File-transfer requirements
- Cloud backups
- Hosted Voice use
- CCTV
- Customer Wi-Fi
- Growth
A 100 Mbps leased line may provide a more consistent experience than a much faster shared broadband service.
However, it may become restrictive where the organisation transfers large files or has many active users.
Is a 1 Gbps leased line necessary?
Not always.
A 1 Gbps leased line may be appropriate for:
- Larger organisations
- High cloud usage
- Frequent large file transfers
- Several offices
- High-definition video
- Extensive backup traffic
- Data-heavy applications
- Significant future growth
- Shared service centres
- Customer contact centres
It can also provide useful long-term capacity.
However, the firewall, switches, cabling and devices must be capable of using the available speed.
A faster leased line provides little value if a firewall or old network switch creates a lower bottleneck.
Leased-line installation
The installation process
A leased line normally requires a dedicated installation process.
This may involve:
- Availability checks
- Provider surveys
- Wayleave agreements
- Building access
- External construction
- Duct work
- Fibre installation
- Internal cabling
- Router installation
- Firewall configuration
- Testing
- Service activation
Some sites are straightforward.
Others require roadworks, new ducts, landlord approval or work in shared buildings.
The final installation date may depend on factors outside the telecoms provider's direct control.
This is why leased lines should be ordered early during an office move or major project.
How long does a leased line take to install?
Installation times vary considerably.
A relatively simple service may be delivered within a few weeks.
A complex installation may take several months.
The timescale can be affected by:
- Existing fibre availability
- Distance to provider infrastructure
- Building access
- Landlord approval
- Wayleaves
- Civil engineering
- Blocked ducts
- Road closures
- Planning permission
- Internal cabling
- Provider workload
A quoted target date should not be treated as guaranteed until surveys and dependencies are complete.
Temporary connectivity may be required while installation continues.
What is a wayleave?
A wayleave is an agreement that allows a communications provider to install or maintain equipment and cabling on land or within a building it does not own.
A wayleave may be required when:
- The business rents its premises
- The building has a commercial landlord
- Cabling crosses shared areas
- The provider needs access to private land
- A multi-tenant building is involved
- New ducts or entry points are required
Delays can occur when responsibilities are unclear or signatures are not obtained promptly.
The property owner, managing agent and provider should be involved early.
Excess construction charges
A provider may identify additional work required to reach your premises.
This may result in excess construction charges.
These can arise from:
- New ducts
- Blocked ducts
- Road crossings
- Long cable routes
- Building entry work
- Additional chambers
- Specialist access
- Traffic management
- Unusual internal cabling
The provider may cover some construction cost within the standard order.
Additional charges should be reviewed carefully before approval.
Possible alternatives may include:
- Another provider
- A different route
- A lower-cost technology
- Full Fibre business broadband
- A wireless connection
- Mobile connectivity
- A different contract term
Leased lines for new offices
A leased line should be considered early when planning a new office.
The project may need to coordinate:
- Property access
- Wayleaves
- Landlord approval
- Internal cabling
- Network cabinets
- Routers
- Firewalls
- Wi-Fi
- Hosted Voice
- Number migration
- Temporary broadband
- Office move dates
Do not assume an existing leased line can be moved quickly from one address to another.
A new service usually needs to be ordered for the new location.
The existing service may remain under contract after the move.
Temporary connectivity during installation
A temporary service may be required when the leased line will not be ready in time.
Options may include:
- Full Fibre business broadband
- SoGEA
- 4G
- 5G
- A managed mobile router
- A temporary wireless connection
- An existing site connection
The temporary service should be assessed against:
- Number of employees
- Cloud applications
- Hosted Voice
- Video meetings
- Data allowance
- Mobile coverage
- Security
- Expected duration
Temporary connectivity should not be treated as an afterthought.
It may need to support the organisation for several weeks or months.
Leased lines and your business systems
Managed leased-line routers
A leased line normally connects through a business-grade router.
A managed router may provide:
- Provider configuration
- Remote support
- Performance monitoring
- Static IP routing
- Failover
- Quality of Service
- Usage visibility
- Fault diagnostics
- Security controls
The provider-managed router may sit in front of your firewall.
In other designs, the router and firewall functions may be combined.
The responsibilities should be clear.
When a fault occurs, everyone should know who manages:
- The circuit
- The router
- The firewall
- The internal network
- Wi-Fi
- Cloud applications
Leased lines and firewalls
A leased line can provide significant bandwidth.
The firewall must be capable of handling it.
Firewall performance can be reduced when features such as these are enabled:
- Intrusion prevention
- Web filtering
- Antivirus inspection
- Application control
- VPN encryption
- SSL inspection
- Detailed logging
A firewall advertised as supporting 1 Gbps may provide much lower throughput when full security services are active.
The firewall should be sized for:
- Current speed
- Future bearer capacity
- User numbers
- VPNs
- Security inspection
- Multi-site traffic
- Failover
Leased lines and Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams benefits from stable bandwidth, low delay and low packet loss.
A leased line can provide a strong foundation for:
- Teams meetings
- Teams Phone
- Screen sharing
- Multi-site collaboration
- Remote access
- Cloud applications
However, meeting quality still depends on:
- Local network switches
- Wi-Fi
- Employee devices
- Firewalls
- Microsoft service availability
- Remote participants' connections
A leased line cannot compensate for poor Wi-Fi in the meeting room.
Leased lines and Hosted Voice
Hosted Voice calls depend on stable IP connectivity.
A leased line can support:
- Large numbers of simultaneous calls
- Reception services
- Call queues
- Contact centres
- Multi-site calling
- Call recording
- Remote users
Voice uses relatively little bandwidth compared with video.
It is highly sensitive to delay, packet loss and instability.
Traffic prioritisation and network design may still be required.
Leased lines and contact centres
Contact centres may depend on internet access for:
- Customer calls
- Call queues
- CRM systems
- Call recording
- Analytics
- Supervisor dashboards
- Remote agents
- Web chat
- Customer information
A connectivity failure could disrupt the entire customer service.
A leased line may provide the primary service, but resilience remains important.
Possible designs include:
- Leased line with business broadband backup
- Two leased lines
- Diverse providers
- Mobile failover
- Alternative office routing
- Remote working
- Provider-level call diversion
Leased lines and multi-site connectivity
A leased line can form part of a wider multi-site network.
It may connect:
- Offices
- Data centres
- Cloud services
- Branch locations
- Contact centres
- Remote facilities
The wider design may use:
- Site-to-site VPNs
- SD-WAN
- Private circuits
- Cloud gateways
- Central firewalls
- Local internet breakout
The best approach depends on:
- Application location
- Security
- User numbers
- Resilience
- Cloud use
- Existing infrastructure
- Growth
Internet leased line or private leased line?
Internet leased line
An internet leased line provides dedicated access to the public internet.
It can support cloud services, websites, Teams, voice and general internet use.
Private leased line
A private circuit connects defined business locations without providing general internet access by itself.
It may be used to connect:
- Two offices
- An office and a data centre
- A business and a hosting environment
- Several parts of a wider private network
Some organisations use both private connectivity and internet access.
The choice depends on where applications and services are hosted.
Leased-line resilience
A leased line is normally more dependable than standard broadband.
It is not impossible for it to fail.
Possible causes include:
- Fibre damage
- Roadworks
- Provider outage
- Router failure
- Firewall failure
- Power cut
- Building damage
- Internal cabling faults
- Local network problems
A business-critical site should have a continuity plan.
Backup connectivity
Backup options may include:
- Full Fibre business broadband
- SoGEA
- A second leased line
- 4G
- 5G
- Fixed wireless access
- Another office
- Cloud-based working
- Mobile applications
The correct backup depends on:
- Number of users
- Critical applications
- Expected outage duration
- Voice requirements
- Mobile coverage
- Budget
- Recovery priorities
A backup line does not always need to match the full speed of the primary leased line.
It should support the services the organisation considers essential.
Diverse leased lines
Two leased lines do not automatically provide full resilience.
They may share:
- The same provider
- The same local duct
- The same street cabinet
- The same exchange
- The same building entry point
- The same router
- The same firewall
- The same power supply
A diverse design may use:
- Different providers
- Different physical routes
- Separate building entry points
- Separate routers
- Separate firewalls
- Separate power
- Fixed and mobile technologies
True physical diversity can increase cost significantly.
The design should reflect the financial and operational impact of an outage.
Service levels, monitoring and security
Service Level Agreements
A Service Level Agreement, often called an SLA, defines the service commitments provided with the connection.
It may cover:
- Availability
- Fault response
- Target repair time
- Network performance
- Packet loss
- Delay
- Communication updates
- Compensation
Read the wording carefully.
A target repair time is not always the same as a guaranteed restoration time.
Service credits may provide only limited financial compensation compared with the business cost of an outage.
An SLA reduces risk but does not replace backup connectivity.
Leased-line monitoring
Monitoring may show:
- Connection availability
- Bandwidth usage
- Packet loss
- Delay
- Router status
- Failover status
- Performance trends
- Capacity growth
- Short disconnections
This can help identify:
- Repeated faults
- Bandwidth pressure
- Unexpected usage
- Router problems
- Backup activation
- Capacity needs
Monitoring should lead to action.
A dashboard nobody reviews provides limited value.
Leased-line security
The connection should be part of the wider cybersecurity design.
Controls may include:
- Managed firewalls
- Intrusion prevention
- DNS filtering
- Web filtering
- Network segmentation
- VPNs
- Secure remote access
- Logging
- Multi-factor authentication
- DDoS protection
- Supplier access controls
- Incident response
Some providers offer optional Distributed Denial of Service protection.
The required level depends on the services exposed to the internet and the impact of an attack.
Leased lines for different sectors
Accountancy firms
Accountancy firms may depend on connectivity for:
- Cloud accounting
- Payroll
- Tax systems
- Microsoft 365
- Client portals
- Video meetings
- Remote working
- Hosted Voice
- Secure file exchange
A leased line may be appropriate where deadlines create high operational pressure, several employees use cloud applications or an outage would stop most work.
Backup connectivity should still be considered.
Housing associations
Housing associations may use leased lines to support:
- Housing-management systems
- Repairs services
- Tenant contact
- Contact centres
- Microsoft Teams
- Hosted Voice
- Multi-site access
- Contractor systems
- CCTV
- Remote offices
A customer contact centre or head office may justify dedicated connectivity with strong failover.
Smaller offices may be better served by business broadband.
Charities
Charities may consider leased lines where:
- Cloud applications support essential services
- Staff work across several sites
- Video meetings are frequent
- A service-user contact centre is operated
- Internet failure affects beneficiaries
- Shared broadband is inconsistent
Cost remains important.
The organisation should compare the leased line with Full Fibre business broadband and appropriate backup options.
Professional services firms
Professional services firms may rely on:
- Cloud documents
- Client portals
- Video meetings
- Secure remote access
- Hosted Voice
- File transfers
- Multi-office collaboration
A leased line can provide a more consistent client and employee experience.
Contact centres
A contact centre may require dedicated connectivity because calls, CRM, recording and reporting all depend on the network.
The design should consider:
- Simultaneous calls
- Remote agents
- CRM traffic
- Call recording
- Contact channels
- Backup connectivity
- Provider-level call diversion
- Secondary working locations
Multi-site organisations
Multi-site organisations may use leased lines at:
- Head offices
- Data centres
- Shared-service centres
- Large branches
- Contact centres
- Distribution sites
Smaller branches may use business broadband connected through SD-WAN or secure VPNs.
Not every location needs the same technology.
Our leased-line process
1
Discovery
We begin by understanding:
- Number of employees
- Locations
- Current connectivity
- Cloud applications
- Microsoft Teams
- Hosted Voice
- Video conferencing
- File transfers
- Backups
- Customer systems
- Multi-site traffic
- Impact of an outage
- Growth plans
- Budget
2
Existing service review
We assess:
- Current broadband
- Usage
- Upload demand
- Performance
- Outages
- Routers
- Firewalls
- Static IPs
- Contracts
- Renewal dates
- Backup services
- Known problems
3
Availability and carrier review
We check available leased-line options from suitable carriers.
We consider:
- Speed
- Bearer capacity
- Installation
- Service levels
- Contract terms
- Network reach
- Backup options
- Indicative costs
4
Site and network assessment
We review:
- Building access
- Communications cabinets
- Power
- Internal cabling
- Fibre routes
- Router requirements
- Firewall capacity
- Network switches
- Wi-Fi
- Backup connectivity
- Landlord involvement
5
Solution design
We recommend:
- Active bandwidth
- Bearer capacity
- Carrier
- Router
- Firewall
- Static IPs
- Backup connection
- Automatic failover
- Monitoring
- Security controls
- Network upgrades
We explain what is required now and what supports future growth.
6
Order and installation management
We coordinate:
- Carrier order
- Surveys
- Wayleaves
- Building access
- Construction requirements
- Internal cabling
- Router delivery
- Provider updates
- Target dates
- Temporary connectivity
7
Configuration
We configure the agreed:
- Router
- Firewall
- Static IPs
- VPNs
- Failover
- Traffic prioritisation
- Security filtering
- Monitoring
- Remote management
8
Testing
Testing may include:
- Upload and download performance
- Packet loss
- Delay
- Stability
- Microsoft Teams
- Hosted Voice
- Video conferencing
- Cloud applications
- VPNs
- Static IP services
- Firewall performance
- Failover
9
Migration
We plan the transition from the existing connection.
This may involve:
- DNS changes
- Static IP updates
- Firewall rules
- VPN changes
- Cloud allow lists
- User communication
- Testing
- Rollback arrangements
The existing service should remain active until the leased line has been tested and accepted.
10
Ongoing support and monitoring
Stratiis can continue to support:
- Circuit faults
- Carrier escalation
- Routers
- Firewalls
- Performance
- Monitoring
- Failover
- Static IP changes
- VPNs
- Capacity reviews
- Contract renewals
- Office moves
- Additional sites
Frequently asked questions
What is a business leased line?
A business leased line is a dedicated data connection reserved for one organisation.
It commonly provides symmetrical speeds and stronger service commitments than standard broadband.
Is a leased line the same as fibre broadband?
No.
Full Fibre broadband may use fibre to the premises but still operate as a shared broadband service.
A leased line provides dedicated committed bandwidth.
What does symmetrical speed mean?
It means the upload and download speeds are the same or closely matched.
What is dedicated bandwidth?
Dedicated bandwidth is capacity reserved for your organisation rather than shared in the same way as standard broadband.
What is a leased-line bearer?
The bearer is the maximum capacity of the installed connection.
Your active service may use all or part of that capacity.
What is CIR?
CIR stands for Committed Information Rate.
It describes the amount of bandwidth the provider commits to delivering.
Is a leased line faster than broadband?
It may or may not have a higher headline download speed.
Its main advantages are dedicated capacity, symmetrical performance, consistency and service levels.
Is a 100 Mbps leased line enough?
It may be enough for a small or medium organisation.
The answer depends on users, applications, video, voice, backup and growth.
Do we need a 1 Gbps leased line?
Not every organisation needs 1 Gbps.
It may be suitable for larger or data-intensive environments and where significant growth is expected.
How long does a leased line take to install?
It can take from several weeks to several months.
Building access, carrier surveys, wayleaves and construction can affect the timescale.
What is a wayleave?
A wayleave is an agreement allowing the provider to install or maintain communications equipment on property it does not own.
What are excess construction charges?
They are additional charges for work beyond a provider's normal installation allowance, such as ducts, roadworks or long cable routes.
Does a leased line come with a router?
Many services include a provider-managed router.
The exact equipment and responsibility should be confirmed.
Does a leased line need a firewall?
Yes, businesses should protect internet access using an appropriate firewall and security controls.
Can a leased line support Microsoft Teams?
Yes.
A correctly designed leased line can provide a strong foundation for Teams meetings and Teams Phone.
Can it support Hosted Voice?
Yes.
Leased lines are commonly used for cloud telephone services and contact centres.
Can a leased line fail?
Yes.
Fibre damage, provider outages, equipment faults and power failures can still affect it.
Backup connectivity should be considered.
What is the best backup for a leased line?
The right backup may be business broadband, another leased line, 4G or 5G.
It should avoid the same likely point of failure where practical.
Can failover happen automatically?
Yes.
A suitable router or firewall can move traffic to the backup connection automatically.
Do two leased lines provide full resilience?
Not necessarily.
They may share the same provider, route, building entry or local infrastructure.
Physical diversity should be confirmed.
Can we upgrade the speed later?
Often, yes, particularly when a larger bearer has already been installed.
Upgrade options and costs vary by provider.
Can we move a leased line to a new office?
A leased line is tied to a physical location.
A new circuit normally needs to be ordered at the new premises, and the existing contract may still apply.
How much does a leased line cost?
The cost depends on:
- Location
- Speed
- Bearer
- Carrier
- Contract term
- Construction
- Router
- Static IPs
- Support
- Backup
- Resilience
- Installation
A site-specific availability check is normally required.
Can Stratiis compare different carriers?
Yes.
Stratiis can assess available options and help compare capacity, service levels, installation and total cost.
Can Stratiis manage the firewall and Wi-Fi as well?
Yes.
Stratiis can support the leased line, router, firewall, network switches, Wi-Fi, Hosted Voice and wider IT environment.
Give your business connectivity that matches the importance of the internet
A leased line is not necessary for every organisation.
For many businesses, a strong Full Fibre broadband service with suitable backup provides excellent value.
But when your internet connection carries customer calls, cloud systems, video meetings and essential operational services, inconsistent performance can become an unacceptable risk.
Stratiis can help you decide whether a leased line is justified.
We will review your current usage, business dependencies, network equipment, available carriers and continuity requirements before recommending a service.
Let's compare the cost of dedicated connectivity with the true business cost of slow performance and internet downtime.
Call: 0141 348 7960
Email: sales@stratiis.com
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