With the push towards cloud computing and increased broadband usage over the last decade, a stable and fast internet connection is essential for most organisations. To help when you’re presented with an upgrade opportunity, we’ve outlined the different connection types and speeds below.
ADSL and Fibre connections
| Connection Type | Max Download Speed | Upload Speed |
| ADSL | 24 Mpbs | Avg. 1.5 Mbps |
| FTTC | 80 Mbps | Avg. 18 Mbps |
| FTTP | 1,000 Mbps | Up to 115 Mbps |
| Leased Line | 10,000 Mbps | Up to 10,000 Mbps |
ADSL
Technically these connections are ADSL2+, but are generally known as ADSL. They use old copper cabling and suffer from slow speeds. The speeds are further reduced in highly congested areas or when you’re located a long distance away from the green cabinet. Given the maximum download and upload speeds, these connections are not suitable for many organisations and are often recommended as a temporary or backup solution.
Fibre broadband
Fibre broadband connections are supplied via fibre optic cable that is more reliable and faster than the copper cable found in ADSL connections. Within Fibre broadband connections, there are two types:
- Fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) is a fibre connection to the local telephone exchange but your premises are connected to the green cabinet by copper cabling. This reduces the maximum speed significantly.
- Fibre to the premises (FTTP) is a fibre connection at both sides of the green cabinet. This generally improves both the download and upload speeds available.
Leased Line
Leased lines are full fibre dedicated connections that cut out the link between your premises and the green cabinet. Leased lines offer a guaranteed connection speed that is uncontended, meaning the line is not shared with anyone else. A leased line normally offers symmetrical download and upload speeds, resulting in faster connectivity than that offered by standard fibre broadband.
What we recommend
We would recommend at least an FTTP connection for most organisations with less than 50 staff. Above this, we’d recommend a leased line (or multiple leased lines). In all instances, we’d also recommend a backup internet connection.
Each organisation is different and we’d recommend auditing and predicting your data requirements before deciding on your internet upgrade.
How we can help
As an IT support provider, we manage a variety of internet connectivity solutions across multiple industries. You can contact us for impartial advice on the most suitable connection type and how best to approach internet connection upgrades.