Leased lines FAQs

A leased line is telecommunications technology transporting voice and data across a private, high-performance circuit. Leased lines are commonly used to provide connectivity between two customer sites or to access the internet. Unlike broadband connectivity, a leased line provides guaranteed, uncontended bandwidth, and is one of the most reliable connectivity options currently available.

Leased line speeds vary according to customer and service provider, but can range from 2mbps up to 1,000mbps.

Leased lines go by a variety of names including Direct Internet Access (DIA), Ethernet, Fibre, EFM (Ethernet First Mile), LAN Extension (LES), WES, Point-to-point (P2P), off-net, on-net, T1 and E1.

Unlike copper lines, which use electronic pulses to transmit data, fibre-optic lines take advantage of light pulses and subsequently offer higher speeds and improved resistance to electromagnetic noise from nearby cabling. The maintenance cost associated fibre-optic lines is also significantly lower.

Wires only leased lines refer to lines supplied without a router. Customers often wish to select this option if they already have a router.

A P2P leased line is usually provided to share internal data between two customer locations, and is usually delivered by an Ethernet leased line.

The most common leased line option, these simply provide access to the internet.

MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) is part of a Wide Area Network (WAN), enabling those customers with many sites to connect in the most secure way.

Leased lines offer uncontended bandwidth and are not shared by any other customers. There is also a high SLA and is fully managed 24x7x365.

An automatic failover broadband line is provided as backup to a leased line, using the same IP address range. If a leased line is purchased with an ADSL backup line, the SLA increases from 99.9% to 99.99%.

Leased lines are available from over 5,000 locations (POPs) throughout the UK.

Sipdesk utilises an aggregator network interconnecting with eight carriers for EFM and Ethernet leased lines. We select which carrier to use based on location, coverage and price. Carriers we use include Colt, BT Wholesale, Global Crossing and Talk Talk Business.

Lead times vary according to provider, but range from 25 to 65 working days.

Sipdesk leased lines can be upgraded to MPLS where a customer wishes to connect multiple sites.

Companies with multiple locations often choose leased lines for their Head Office, mid-sized offices, and broadband for any shops, home-workers, and for small offices. Contact us today to discuss your options.

Leased lines work with the existing telephone network infrastructure and therefore offer wide coverage. However, leased lines are only available in parts of the country that are well served.

With permanent internet connectivity, a leased line is the perfect option for heavy bandwidth use.

The size of leased line best-suited to your business depends on a number of factors, including the quantity of users and applications running. Sipdesk will be able to offer impartial advice on the best solution for you.