Internet Leased Line vs Broadband: Choose Wisely, Not with Hype!

Internet Leased Line vs Broadband: Choose Wisely, Not with Hype!

The world is evolving and advancing with every passing day, and the internet has become extremely crucial to this development. In sectors like - businesses, larger organizations, academic institutions - internet has played a vital role for a long time.

Do You Know How an Internet Leased Line is Better than Broadband?

With the evolution of new technologies, the costs of data plans have been falling and businesses have multiple options to choose the basis of Internet connectivity in their offices. Unlike the more common broadband service that is a shared Internet connection, leased lines operate on a private network that is dedicated to the organisation paying for it. This affords the benefits of higher data transfer speeds without any drop in QoS in peak usage times, unlike a broadband connection that can be affected by the activities of other users.

Over the last few years, the availability and connectivity speeds of fibre broadband have increased while simultaneously its costs have been reduced. This has led to a comparison between fibre-based broadband and fibre leased lines. Business owners wish to know which of these will be a better choice for online connectivity across their organisation and office branches.

While both broadband and Internet leased lines (ILL) offer access to the Internet at fixed subscription costs, they have a few sharp variations in terms of the features they offer to an enterprise.

When we talk about the internet, the first thing that comes to our mind is connectivity. Do you know how many types of connectivity exist in the internet world? Well, the answer is simple. There are two types of connectivity - Broadband and Leased Line. You must know that the speed and bandwidth of the internet are very important in case of internet connectivity. The connectivity speed is top-notch in leased line broadband, whereas the speed in the regular broadband connection is much lower than in the leased line network.

For experiencing greater speed and dedicated bandwidth, all the major institutions, organizations and business services are eventually becoming largely dependent on the ILL or internet leased line. You must have come across the term ''broadband'' many times, but have you ever heard about a leased line network? If not, you must be wondering what leased line broadband is and how it helps to progress your business.

Well, an internet leased line comes with a dedicated internet connection. This connection sends in various data across many networks around the globe. It is very different from broadband internet as enormous third party users cannot share it in a significant locality. This is why a leased line network is bestowed with regularity in bandwidth and greater connectivity speed.

This article will discuss the difference between broadband and leased line significantly and analyze how much it differs from each other in various aspects.

Broadband and Leased Line - What is the Meaning?

Internet connectivity is making our lives easier with every passing day. Broadband and leased line meanings are simple as these are the two mediums through which we can access the internet and enjoy seamless connectivity. There is a huge competition of - leased lines vs broadband in the internet world, and the competition is solely based on the connectivity bandwidth and speed. In this section, we will be discussing the meaning of broadband and leased lines.

Broadband

Broadband is a small device that you will find in almost every household, through which you can enjoy seamless internet connectivity altogether. Broadband acts as a medium through which you can access the internet connection in all the supporting devices.

Nevertheless, it would be best if you also remembered that broadband has the potential to withstand a certain amount of bandwidth. It cannot afford to exceed more than the dedicated support it is meant to provide. This connectivity device is mostly used in small organizations and households for personal use. The bandwidth and speed are lower because of the fibre present to deliver internet connection.

Leased Line

The leased line meaning is very simple, it is like the ethernet connections used by large organizations, businesses, and educational institutions to serve the work that occurs online. It is a dedicated connection that connects two or more networks without any contention.

If you are a business person, you will know that the leased line network is directly connected to the local exchange. So it can't be shared with other businesses or residents in that area, just like a broadband connection. This is exactly where broadband and leased lines differ. As the broadband connection is not dedicated, you can thoroughly share this with other local people within a particular range of places.

In the following sections, we will do a broadband leased line comparison and look into their differences.

Leased Line vs Broadband - Which is Better?

When we compare leased line vs broadband, we will find lots of differences around which solution provides the rightful connectivity. On the other hand, if we try to look into the difference between leased lines and ADSL, there is not much, and the ADSL speed is almost similar to that of leased line speed.

However, if you look into the difference between broadband and leased lines, you will always find that leased lines are far better than broadband. You must be wondering why is that so? It is because the leased line speed is far more advanced than that of a broadband speed. The internet leased line also provides greater bandwidth because of the dedicated connection associated with the network.

If you are a business person and trying to elevate your business online, we would suggest you get hold of an internet leased line. With this, you can easily access all the online transmitted data and information. So if you are asking us ‘which connectivity is better?’, we would always ask you to go for a leased line to work on everything with seamless connectivity.

Advantages of Leased Line over Broadband

An increasing number of organisations are opting for the leased line because it delivers better performance at a lesser cost. Furthermore, leased lines come with a connection that may be tailored to derive unwavering bandwidth and more uptime. This is better than the vanilla broadband configuration that cannot prioritise the needs of different users.

A leased line is provided exclusively to the business that has subscribed to it and it is an ‘always-on’ connection with both data as well as voice-based solutions. The subscription amount is usually paid on a yearly basis. As this is a dedicated connection, it comes with a promised bandwidth supported by a Service Level Agreement (SLA).

When they subscribe to leased line service, businesses have the guarantee of promised download and upload speeds at all times. This ensures better performance for their operations than common broadband connectivity that compels them to contend for Internet speed and bandwidth with other consumers. Furthermore, they can alter the upload and download speeds as required to meet their particular business needs. And they pay purely for the actual bandwidth used by their organisation

There are two types of leased line networks: site-to-site data connectivity and site-to-network connectivity. If we look into the difference between broadband and leased lines, we will see that the leased line provides better connectivity than broadband. Let us look into some of the advantages of a leased line by comparing it to broadband connectivity.

• The first thing we should be talking about is the speed of the internet. The leased line speed can range from 1 Gbps up to 10 Gbps. On the other hand, the broadband speed doesn't shoot more than 100-120 Mbps.
• The leased line connectivity is bestowed with asymmetric connectivity, whereas broadband connectivity is asymmetrical.
• Through leased lines, you can easily stream high-quality videos and efficient data, whereas, through broadband, you are sure to face various difficulties and disruptions in between.
• The leased line works best when required for getting access to cloud computing.
• Compared to broadband, the leased line cost is a bit more than broadband. Nevertheless, the higher price is justified as it provides seamless data streaming opportunities without any major interruptions.
• The leased line network is built with fibre optic cables, whereas the broadband connectivities are established mostly through regular copper wires.
• Because of fibre optic cables, the leased line costs are slightly higher. And at the same time, it provides seamless connectivity for largely accessing the internet. On the other hand, all broadband connections more or less come with a similar price tag. But due to the asymmetrical connection, there are numerous disruptions.
• Security is another critical aspect in the world of the internet. You must have often heard that several frauds are going on over the internet. So you need to provide complete security to all your data transmitted online, from one end to the other.

The reasons mentioned above are why the leased line is far better than a broadband connection. In the following section, we will be discussing the differences - leased line vs broadband.

What is the Difference Between Broadband and leased lines?

Fibre broadband offers high-speed connectivity between the business premises and the local exchange or service provider. It has a variable bandwidth and is asymmetric, which may imply a faster speed for downloads than for uploads. Also, it is not a dedicated connection and is subject to sharing with other users.

A leased line is an alternative medium to connect to the Internet and is also taken on rent from the service provider. However, it is an exclusive connection with an agreed bandwidth and provides identical upload and download speeds. There is no contention with other consumers who also subscribe to the Internet from the same service provider.

The speed for a leased line can vary between a basic 2 Mbps to multiples of 10 Mbps. The connectivity for the Internet is delivered to an enterprise’s premises employing fibre optic cables.

Both leased lines and broadband provide internet connectivity at a certain cost supplied by the providers. Even though they cater to the same thing, there are huge differences. Some of the difference between broadband and a leased line is stated below.

The leased line connection costs are indeed distinctively more expensive than broadband connections. Since there is a difference in the value of both the internet connectivities, we can naturally compare the costs of the two. If you have made up your mind on shifting from a broadband connection to a leased line connection, you would need to incur greater expenses but with added benefits. So it is essential to keep this in mind before going through the comparison of cost differences between the two.

If you are availing leased line connection, you will find that your service provider offers you a longer contract than that of the broadband connection. In the case of leased line connection, the offered contract is more or less for 36 months. On the other hand, the broadband contract is for either a year or six months or even lesser than that. You must keep in mind that longer contracts are truly beneficial - even if the price rises, you are not required to pay more for the inflated difference.

Sometimes hidden costs might come into being. In leased line connection, you will easily use the connection as it comes as unthrottled and unmetered, and you can use it for as long as you require. On the other hand, broadband connections might sometimes have hidden costs like additional charges if you use the internet beyond your set limit.

The leased lines come with Service Level Agreements, whereas the broadband connection doesn't come with the same. In a leased line connection, you have the probability of being granted a minimum amount of uptime to fix any persisting issue. On the other hand, the broadband connection doesn't provide any fixation guarantee when the service provider resolves the issue.

Leased line broadband holds the potential of providing higher connection speed, and it is because of the presence of symmetrical connections. With the symmetrical connection, you will experience superfast and stable upload and download speed.

On the other hand, broadband is offered with asymmetrical connectivity, and the upload speed is much lower than that of the download speed. If you are using broadband at your home, the asymmetrical connectivity will not create many issues as you do not require to upload large-sized files or send enormous data across the internet. Nevertheless, the upload speed through the leased line connectivity is beneficial for any business organization.

• The Cost Difference
• The Reliability Difference
• The Connection Speed Difference

How Much Does Broadband and Leased Line Cost?

There is a great difference between broadband and leased line connection costs. Even though the leased line connection cost is higher, the provided services justify the entailing cost, and the broadband internet connection cost is much lesser than the leased line connection.

You will mostly find that the service providers offer their customers deals based on contracts. In the case of leased lines, most service providers offer a deal of as much as typically 36 months. Compared to the monthly charges, you will find that the three-year plan is preferred because of dedicated connection and also cost-effectiveness. Similarly, the broadband connection contracts pour in. However, the contracts of broadband connections are mostly seen for either six months or less, and the cost is comparatively lower as well.

To know more, keep reading on.

What kind of businesses should opt for leased lines?

The enterprises that need high-performance Internet speeds for business-critical apps and frequently use remote access software systems benefit significantly from a leased line.

These lines are also good for businesses that must simultaneously run multiple business applications to share files, access emails, transfer data and frequently collaborate with clients or remote employees. A leased line brings quick and reliable connectivity, making way for higher productivity and better client retention.

The ever-growing competitive market in online businesses is becoming truly effective in today's world. The internet is probably one of the many infrastructures required to keep your business up and running.

Those businesses which require transferring and uploading high-quality data and information should opt for leased lines. The leased lines also come with enormous varieties, and can choose from the lot. You might feel that you do not require the maximum speed. So you can always opt for cheap leased line internet. So before opting for a leased line, you can thoroughly look into their service and what they offer.

What Equipment does the Service Provider provide with an Internet Leased Line?

There is no such equipment present that caters to the internet leased line, and the connection is established by your service providers directly from the source in the form of a router. The leased line provides seamless connectivity throughout, and there are no significant disruptions.

On subscribing to a leased line, a business gets a private Internet connection that is not used by any other user in the locality. The router provided along with this leased line is administered by the service provider and configured in a dedicated facility at the business premises.

Leased line companies offer an uptime guarantee of over 99%, which is supported by a comprehensive SLA. Full technical support is also offered for troubleshooting.

In addition, the main network and the performance parameters including jitter and latency are constantly under observance as part of the SLA to strengthen the reliability of leased line services.

These Internet lines come with the same speed for downloads and uploads. Businesses can also adjust the speed further as per their particular work needs and preferences.

As the bandwidth is not shared with any other user, there is an assurance for the requested bandwidth throughout the subscription period. The bandwidth can be adjusted as per the changing business needs through a bearer circuit that allows for more bandwidth without the need to change the line.

Unlimited data is another feature with the leased line service – there is no cap on Internet usage for the subscribers. They can consume as much data as they want.

Leased lines are also backed by low latency guarantees, which is good for enterprises using VoIP setups and mission-critical business apps.

A permanent IP address is a distinct advantage of leased lines. The service provider can offer the client more than one permanent IP address making it possible for the company to run specific business apps, web servers, email servers and other software systems.

Ready to Choose Between a Conventional Fibre Broadband and a Dedicated Leased Line?

We have provided you a ton of insights about leased lines vs broadband in the entire article. So while we have made a broadband leased line comparison, you must choose between the two. Even though the leased line connection cost will be slightly expensive, it will serve you with the best deal and help your business grow.