A leased line in Northamptonshire is the connectivity choice for businesses where the internet is genuinely mission-critical. Unlike standard broadband — which you share with hundreds of neighbouring properties — a leased line is a dedicated, private connection between your premises and the internet exchange. You get the full speed, all the time, to yourself. This guide explains what that actually means in practice, what it costs, and how to decide whether your business needs one.
Whether you’re experiencing slow upload speeds, suffering from peak-time congestion, or simply need a reliable connection with an SLA behind it, understanding leased lines is the first step to making the right decision for your connectivity.
— Key takeaways
- Dedicated, uncontended connection. You don’t share bandwidth with anyone — speeds are guaranteed.
- Symmetric speeds. Upload equals download — critical for cloud software, video calls and VoIP.
- Backed by an SLA. Contractual uptime guarantees and fault response times, not just best-effort.
- Typical cost: £200–£800/month depending on speed, location, and contract length.
- Allow 60–90 days for installation. Civil works are often required — plan well ahead.
— In this guide
01What is a leased line?
02Leased line vs broadband: the key differences
03Speeds, uptime and SLAs explained
04How much does a leased line cost?
05Does your business actually need one?
06Getting a leased line in Northamptonshire
07Frequently asked questions
What Is a Leased Line?
A leased line — sometimes called an Ethernet leased line, dedicated internet access (DIA), or EFM circuit — is a private, point-to-point fibre connection that runs directly from your premises to an internet exchange. Unlike ADSL, FTTP broadband, or cable, it isn’t shared infrastructure. The full capacity of the line is reserved for your business alone.
The term “leased” reflects the commercial arrangement: you’re renting exclusive use of a physical connection from a network provider. That exclusivity is what makes leased lines different from every other business internet product on the market.
- Dedicated bandwidth — your 500Mbps is 500Mbps at 9am and at 5:30pm on a Friday.
- Symmetric speeds — upload and download are equal, which matters enormously for cloud applications, VoIP, and video conferencing.
- Uncontended — you’re not sharing with residential users or other businesses on the same exchange.
- SLA-backed — guaranteed uptime (typically 99.95%+) with contractual fault response times.
- Static IP addresses — consistent IP addresses included as standard, essential for VPN, hosted services, and remote access.
Leased Line vs Broadband: The Key Differences
Most business broadband products — including full-fibre FTTP — are contended. That means your connection is shared with other users on the same infrastructure, and performance degrades during peak times. A leased line eliminates that contention entirely.
| Leased Line | FTTP Broadband | ADSL / SOGEA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contention | Uncontended — dedicated to you | Contended (typically 50:1) | Contended (typically 50:1) |
| Speeds | 100Mbps–10Gbps symmetric | Up to 1Gbps down / 115Mbps up | Up to 80Mbps down / 20Mbps up |
| Upload speed | Equal to download | Significantly slower | Much slower |
| SLA / uptime guarantee | Yes — contractual (99.95%+) | Best effort only | Best effort only |
| Fault response | 4–8 hours contractual | Next working day typical | 2–3 working days typical |
| Static IP | Included | Often extra cost | Often extra cost |
| Monthly cost | £200–£800+ | £30–£80 | £20–£50 |
The upload speed issue: Most businesses don’t realise how asymmetric their broadband is until they move to cloud-first working. Backing up to the cloud, making VoIP calls, running Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and sharing large files all depend heavily on upload speed. A leased line gives you the same speed in both directions.
Speeds, Uptime and SLAs Explained
Available speeds
Leased lines are available in standardised increments. The most common for Northamptonshire SMEs are:
Entry level
100Mbps
Suitable for most offices up to 30 staff on cloud software and VoIP
Mid-range
500Mbps
Larger teams, heavy video conferencing, or multiple site VPNs
High capacity
1–10Gbps
Data centres, large multi-building sites, or connectivity resale
SLA and uptime guarantees
Unlike broadband, leased lines come with a formal Service Level Agreement. This is a legally binding document that specifies:
- Uptime guarantee — typically 99.95% or higher, equating to less than 4.5 hours of downtime per year.
- Mean time to repair (MTTR) — how long the provider has to fix a fault. Typically 4–8 hours for a leased line vs. “next working day” for broadband.
- Service credits — compensation if the provider misses their SLA targets.
- Proactive monitoring — most providers monitor the circuit and raise faults automatically, rather than waiting for you to call.
How Much Does a Leased Line Cost in Northamptonshire?
Leased line pricing depends on three main factors: the speed you need, the distance from your premises to the nearest network point of presence (PoP), and whether civil works (digging up pavement or road) are required for the final connection.
| Speed | Typical monthly cost | Install cost |
|---|---|---|
| 100Mbps | £200–£350/month | Often subsidised or free on 3-year term |
| 200Mbps | £280–£450/month | Often subsidised or free on 3-year term |
| 500Mbps | £380–£600/month | £500–£2,000 depending on civils |
| 1Gbps | £500–£800/month | £1,000–£5,000 depending on civils |
Watch out for: Wayleave requirements — if the fibre needs to cross third-party land to reach your premises, you need written permission from the landowner. In business parks and managed estates this is usually straightforward, but it can add weeks to the installation timeline if not handled early.
Does Your Business Actually Need a Leased Line?
A leased line isn’t right for every business. These are the genuine indicators that one is worth considering:
- You rely on cloud-hosted software (Microsoft 365, Sage, Salesforce, custom ERP) and slow internet means slow business.
- You use VoIP phones and experience call quality issues during busy periods.
- You host servers, CCTV recording systems, or run VPNs that require reliable upload speeds and static IPs.
- Your team regularly transfers large files to clients or to cloud storage.
- You’ve had broadband outages that cost you money — and a day’s downtime waiting for a repair isn’t acceptable.
- You have 20+ staff all using cloud services simultaneously.
If you’re unsure: A good connectivity provider will run a business needs assessment before recommending a leased line. For some businesses a high-quality FTTP product with a 4G/5G failover is more cost-effective. The honest answer depends on your specific usage and tolerance for downtime.
Getting a Leased Line in Northamptonshire
The process from enquiry to live connection typically follows these stages:
- Survey and quote — your provider checks available infrastructure at your postcode, confirms whether civils are needed, and produces a fixed-price quote. This is free and takes 2–5 working days.
- Order placement — once you accept the quote, the order is placed with the network carrier (Openreach, CityFibre, or a wholesale provider).
- Wayleave and civils — if new fibre needs to be installed, wayleave agreements are obtained and groundworks scheduled. This is the most variable part of the timeline.
- Installation — a carrier engineer installs the fibre termination equipment on-site. Your provider then configures the router and hands over the connection.
- Go-live and testing — the circuit is tested to confirm speeds and latency match the contracted specification.
End-to-end, budget 60–90 days from order to go-live. If your current broadband contract is expiring or you’re planning a move to new premises, start the leased line process well before you need it.
Frequently Asked Questions
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We supply leased line connectivity across Northamptonshire — Northampton, Kettering, Daventry, Wellingborough and surrounding areas. Independent advice, multiple carriers, fixed-price quotes.
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