Leased line or business broadband: which does your office need?
Dedicated bandwidth, committed uptime and static IPs, explained in plain words, with the signs it is time to switch.
Both connect your office to the internet. The difference shows up on the busiest morning of the month, when everyone is online at once and a client call, a payroll run and a large upload all happen together.
What is business broadband?
Business broadband works much like home broadband, with business support on top. Capacity is shared with other users in the area and delivered on a best-effort basis, so speeds can vary at peak times, and upload is usually lower than download. It is quick to set up and works well for small teams that mostly browse, email and use a few cloud tools.
What is a leased line?
A leased line is a dedicated connection between your office and the provider’s network. The bandwidth is reserved for you alone, so it doesn’t dip when the area gets busy, and it is symmetric, with the same speed for upload and download. With an I-ON leased line, 99.5% uptime is committed in the contract and static IPs are included.
Leased line vs business broadband at a glance
| Business broadband | Leased line | |
|---|---|---|
| Bandwidth | Shared with other users | Dedicated to your office |
| Upload speed | Usually lower than download | Same as download |
| Speed at peak hours | Can vary | Consistent |
| Uptime | Best effort | Committed in the contract |
| Static IPs | Not always available | Included |
| Best for | Small teams, light cloud use | Cloud-first teams, calls, VPNs and hosted services |
Signs your office needs a leased line
- Calls and video meetings drop or freeze when the office is busy.
- Your team works in cloud apps, ERP or VPNs all day.
- You host servers or need fixed IP addresses for remote access.
- Large uploads, such as designs, videos or backups, slow everyone down.
- An hour offline costs you sales, billing time or customer trust.
If two or more of these sound familiar, a leased line is usually the better fit.
The difference shows up on your busiest morning, not your quietest.
Not ready to switch everything at once?
You don’t need to move in one step. Many offices start with I-ON as a backup link next to their current provider, with automatic failover, so work carries on if the main line goes down. Once the team has seen the difference, the primary connection can move across.
For businesses with more than one location, SD-WAN puts every branch on one managed network, so you can run every site from one place.
Which connection fits which workspace?
- Small studios and shops with a handful of people: business broadband is often enough.
- Corporate offices and branches: a leased line, with a backup link for critical work.
- Managed offices and co-working spaces: managed Wi-Fi on dedicated capacity, so every member company gets a reliable connection.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between a leased line and broadband?
A leased line is dedicated to your office, with the same upload and download speed and uptime committed in the contract. Broadband is shared with other users and delivered on a best-effort basis, so speeds can vary at busy times.
Is a leased line faster than broadband?
Not always on paper, but it is more consistent. Because the bandwidth is not shared, a leased line holds its speed at peak hours and gives you the same speed for uploads as for downloads.
Does an I-ON leased line come with a static IP?
Yes. Static IPs are included with I-ON leased lines.
Can I keep my current provider and add I-ON?
Yes. Many offices start with I-ON as a backup link with automatic failover, then move their primary connection across later.