How Much Does A Leased Line Cost in UK?
Find out how much leased lines cost in the UK and learn about an alternative that’s been rapidly growing in popularity over the past 5 years.
If you need an ultra-fast connection to the internet or between two locations, you only have two options: a leased line connection or a microwave internet connection.
In this article we’re going to be discussing exactly how much both of them cost on a monthly basis, and how much they cost to install. So by the time you finish reading this article, you’ll know exactly which one is best suited to your businesses needs.
Leased Line Costs
The price of a leased line varies based on a variety of factors. These factors include service provider, location, contract length, bandwidth and more.
There are 3 important costs to consider when looking at least lines, these are:
And so in this section we are going to be explaining all 3 of them to help you understand exactly what you can expect when getting a leased line.
How Much Does A Leased Line Cost To Install?
The major downside to getting a leased line, and the reason why many business owners are no longer going for them, is that they are incredibly expensive to install.
Unless your business is located in a major UK city, you can expect to pay anywhere between £2,000 and £100,000 for leased line installation alone!
The high price may seem excessive, but when you factor in the excess construction charges, which can literally require miles of roads being dug up to install the fibre cable underground – the cost makes perfect sense.
Whether you’re on the lower or higher end of that price range will depend mainly on how far you are from the nearest exchange (which is why they’re far cheaper to install in major cities).
How Much Does A Leased Line Cost Per Month?
The monthly fee of your leased line will cost you between £350 – £600.
This will primarily depend on the amount of bandwidth you require from your leased line, as well as the contract length, bearer size and location of your premises.
Leased lines are typically cheaper per month in the major UK cities than they are in more rural areas.
It is important to also note that the average length of a leased line contract is 36 months – although you can get 24 and 12 month contracts in some instances.
How Long Does It Take To Install A Leased Line?
Installation of a leased line takes between 2 and 12 months to install in the UK, depending on your location.
In some major cities, you can expect your leased line to be installed within a few weeks, but it is again more rural areas where leased lines are not ideal.
This is another major downside for many businesses in the UK who move into a new premises and find there isn’t an existing leased line connection. The obvious opportunity cost of this can be extremely large for companies who fall victim to the upper end of leased line lead times.
Microwave Internet Costs
Microwave Internet is a leased line alternative that can in many ways work out economically better for companies in the UK.
We will now look at the same 3 costs for microwave internet:
And then look at a comparison chart to help you figure out which is best for your needs.
How Much Does Microwave Internet Cost To Install?
The price of installing microwave internet is typically between £1,000 and £2,000, this is considerably cheaper than the cost of installing a fibre leased line as there are considerably less construction costs.
Microwave internet delivers leased line level connectivity through a PTP/PTMP connection (think transmitters and receivers). This means there’s no need to dig up roads during installation, making it far cheaper for businesses to get set up (and faster to install).
The price of installation will be affected primarily by your location, as you may require more hardware if you do not have line of sight. If you do have RF line of sight, you can expect installation to be on the lower end of the price scale.
Microwave internet is especially advantageous for businesses located in a rural area, as you can often get an ultra fast connection for a thousand pounds, that would either not be possible at all, or cost you tens of thousands with a leased line.
How Much Does Microwave Internet Cost Per Month?
Microwave Internet will cost between £350 and £1000 per month depending on your location and bandwidth requirements.
It can in some instances cost you more per month for a microwave internet connection then it would for a leased line, and so you need to work out whether you’re financially better off paying slightly more per month for microwave internet or considerably more for a one off installation fee with a leased line.
We should also consider that the average minimum contract length for microwave internet is just 3 days, which is considerably shorter than it is for a leased line (36 months on average).
The 3 day minimum contract makes microwave internet far more attractive to business owners and IT managers who do not have a high risk tolerance.
How Long Does It Take To Install Microwave Internet?
Microwave internet can be installed at most premises in as little as just two weeks.
This is because the installation process is far less disruptive (and far more straightforward) than a leased line.
This makes it ideal for business owners who cannot afford to wait multiple months for a leased line installation.
Leased Line Vs Microwave Internet
Using the information above and some other points of interest, here’s a table that outlines what you can expect to pay and receive from each service.
Using this information, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about which connection is best for your business.
| Leased Line | Microwave Internet | |
|---|---|---|
| Installation cost: | £2,000 – £100,000 | £1,000 – £2,000 |
| Installation time: | 2 – 12 months | 2 weeks |
| Contract length: | 24 – 36 months | 3 days |
| Speed: | 100Mbps – 10Gbps | 100Mbps – 10Gbps |
| Price per month: | £350 – £600 | £350 – £1000 |
| Data Allowance | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Uptime: | 99.9% | 99.99% |
| Number of users: | 1 – 100+ users | 1 – 100+ users |
| Diversity as standard | No | Yes |
| Latency | Low | Low – Ultra-low |
| Weather resistant | Yes | Yes |
| SLA | Yes | Yes |
| Uncontended connection | Yes | Yes |
| Fully managed options | Yes | Yes |
| Public static IP | Yes | Yes |
| MPLS option | Yes | Yes |
Need Help Choosing? Get Free Advice
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