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Leased Line vs FTTP — When to Upgrade

FTTP is excellent value for many SMEs; a leased line (Ethernet bearer) buys you uncontended bandwidth, tighter SLA fix targets and often symmetric throughput. The upgrade decision is economic and operational — not a speed contest alone.

Next step: Model FTTP vs leased line for your sites. Contact us with uptime requirements and peak upload Mbps.

Contention and jitter

Consumer-grade FTTP can still see peak-hour slowdowns and variable latency. Real-time voice and video suffer when jitter spikes — leased lines target flatter performance.

SLAs and service credits

Read SLA exclusions: “beyond reasonable control” clauses matter for sites in flood zones or with single-entry ducts. Ask about diversity — a second physical route is insurance, not paranoia.

Cost bands

Leased lines carry higher NRC/MRC (install and monthly). Compare total cost over 36 months including router management and monitoring. Sometimes FTTP + 4G failover beats a single expensive bearer — see failover guide.

Multi-site patterns

Head offices aggregating VPNs may pair leased primary with broadband secondary in an SD-WAN design rather than two full leased lines.

Related guides

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