While you might think that sticking with a residential connection while your business is in the early growth stages could save you some funds, the hidden issues of staying with a package that doesn’t serve you could cost your business thousands.

From increased risk of downtime to congested networks at peak times, not switching to a business-grade connection could hold your organisation back from reaching its next development stage. To help you make the right choice on your connectivity, we’ve created an all-you-need-to-know guide on the hidden horrors of staying on a residential connection as a growing business- providing the information needed to make an informed switch at the end of your contract.

The risks of staying with a residential connection

Here are some of the other risks of sticking with a residential package as a business:

• High impact of failure

One of the primary risks of staying with a residential connection involves a lack of service-level agreements (SLAs). SLAs provide users with a degree of assurance that in the event that their primary connection goes down, providers will work to restore service within a set number of hours. With a business-grade connection, this comes as standard with most providers, with priority support round-the-clock.

Residential connections lack basic SLAs, meaning in the event of a fault, you may face longer downtime, resulting in loss of revenue and disruption in customer experience.

• High contention during peak hours

Residential connections typically share bandwidth among multiple tenants, meaning users don’t get 100% of the connectivity potential. This means that peak times result in high rates of congestion, slower speeds, and increased latency. In residential properties, this mostly impacts streaming quality and loading times – with a lower impact of failure.

However, in business, this can result in interrupted video and voice calls with clients and slow file transfer rates, which may result in reputational damage and lower customer satisfaction rates – especially in industries like creative and media where organisations regularly transfer large media files.

With a business-grade connection, contention rates are significantly lower than the typical 1:20 in residential. When you’re thinking of switching providers or you’re approaching the end of your contract, make sure to check the contention ratios offered by specific business providers.

• No guarantee of headline speeds

Headline speeds refer to the fastest available speed advertised on a broadband package. However, on a residential package, there’s no guarantee you’ll even receive this. Some ISPs will advertise this as speeds “up to” a certain amount, but you may receive slightly less than this at any given time, especially during busy periods.

Business packages provide guaranteed speeds, which may come with compensation if you don’t receive the speeds you’re paying for. This means business connectivity provides users with greater assurance that they’re getting the speeds they’re investing in, and can continually perform the bandwidth-intensive tasks, such as using machine learning in customer relationship management, or host websites, without dramatic drops in speeds.

• Lack of Static IPs, limiting VoIP usage

Crucially, residential packages don’t typically offer static IP addresses, which are essential for the normal functionality of business applications via Voice over IP (VoIP) systems, remote access, and secure communication. This is because these applications like VoIP services use static IP addresses to ensure reliable call routing and improve security by allowing firewalls to accept traffic from known IP addresses.

This is one of the defining attributes of business-grade connectivity, as VoIP calling rapidly becomes the standard in most businesses thanks to quality and accessibility for remote and hybrid working.

Additionally, Static IPs resolve issues involving Network Adress Translation, which can impact call quality. With Static IPs, business connections prioritise VoIP traffic, providing a more consistent call performance which makes virtual customer interactions smoother.  

Connect to a genuine business-grade connection with Faster Britain

Sticking with a residential-grade connection as a growing business comes with significant risks that can all stagnate growth and financial prosperity. However, understanding the risks and switching to a business-grade solution can help you maximise productivity and harness the power of bandwidth-hungry technology. If you’d like to learn more about the key differences between business and residential broadband, check out our expert guide here.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is transforming British businesses by integrating cutting-edge technologies like AI, IoT, and Big Data. But success in this new era hinges on one critical factor: connectivity. Full fibre networks are essential for unlocking the full potential of 4IR devices, driving new levels of productivity and innovation.

We explore how the opportunities of the 4IR are propelled by the wider adoption of full fibre connectivity in British Business.

Why is full fibre essential for the fourth industrial revolution?

The Fourth Industrial Revolution marks the interconnect of digital tools designed to bridge the physical and online worlds, fostering societal and economic advancements. These innovations include smart sensors, IoT devices, robotics, blockchain, and artificial intelligence—all leveraging Big Data to automate once time-consuming and costly processes.

At the heart of these innovations is the need to generate, process, and analyse massive amounts of data, often with the help of the Cloud.

For instance, some AI programs can execute up to 10 trillion operations per second (TeraOPS/s), allowing businesses to process millions of data points in a matter of seconds. Tasks that once took weeks can now be completed in minutes, fundamentally altering how organisations approach data analysis.

The world’s fastest AI-powered supercomputers can process the equivalent of millions of instructions per neuron in the human brain, unlocking unlimited productivity and efficiency opportunities that can cut years off product lifecycles. However, these remarkable capabilities are entirely dependent on the strength and speed of the network connection. Even a slight lag in data transfer can result in critical information loss, disrupting processes and negating the benefits of automation. This is why a full fibre infrastructure is not just advantageous—it’s essential.

The primary pillars of the fourth industrial revolution and their business benefits

Why business-grade full fibre networks?

The success of the 4IR and its associated business benefits depends on more than just fast connectivity. A true business-grade full fibre connection offers low contention, symmetrical upload/download speeds, and enhanced resilience, which are vital for maximising the potential of these revolutionary tools.

To ensure seamless 24/7 operations and enable scalability across multiple sites, businesses need a high-capacity, future-ready network that guarantees performance. The Faster Britain full fibre network is designed to elevate your AI, IoT, and Big Data initiatives, helping you stay competitive in today’s fast-evolving industrial landscape. Contact us today to future-proof your business and gain an edge in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

When you’re thinking of switching broadband providers, it’s easy to get lost in the jargon of products. However, being as clued up as possible when you’re looking for just the right package for your business is essential to determine whether the add-ons and features are designed to support growth, flexibility, and technology usage. Ultrafast full fibre connectivity should be universally accessible, no matter your industry or telecoms experience. If you’re scratching your head over some difficult terms, we’ve created a guide to all you need to know.

Products and Services

Gbps: Gigabits per second

Mbps: Megabits per second

Committed Information Rates (CIR): This refers to your fibre connectivity speeds, or your personal lane on the ultrafast highway. 

Minimum Term: Refers to the minimum time you’re committed to your Faster Britain connection.

Uptime: The amount of time that your connectivity is fully operational.

Symmetrical: Symmetrical refers to equal bandwidth capability.

Technology

FTTP: Fibre to the Premises; a type of fibre connectivity that uses 100% fibre optic connections, with no copper – capable of up to 10Gbps over a leased line with Faster Britain.

FTTC: Fibre to the Cabinet; a type of fibre optic communication where the fibre reaches the street cabinet, and copper cables carry the signal to the premises.

Fibre: A connection comprising both copper and fibre, providing speeds of up to 80Mbps up and 20Mbps down.

LAN: A Local Area Network is a network connecting devices in a single area – such as an office.

WAN: Wide Area Network; a network spanning a large area to connect multiple LANs. It’s used by businesses to connect offices in various locations.

GPON: A type of fibre optic technology that only spans to 1Gbps. This is primarily used for products suitable for smaller premises and sites.

XGS-PON: 10 Gigabit-capable Symmetric Passive Optical Network; fibre optic technology offering symmetrical upload and download speeds up to 10 Gbps. Having an XGS-PON-capable connection is ideal for high-bandwidth business applications and growing teams.

Leased Line: A leased line is a dedicated telecommunication line offering high performance and reliability. It is beneficial for businesses needing consistent and secure connections against both downtime and cybersecurity attacks.

ADSL: Analogue Digital Subscriber line; the historic copper telephone connectivity solution in place for over a century in the UK – the most outdated broadband solution. It offers little more than 24Mbps up and 10Mbps down.

Ethernet P2P: Point-to-Point Ethernet; a direct Ethernet connection between two locations. Used for high-speed, dedicated connections in business environments.

VAS: Value Added Services; a set of add-ons provided by Faster Britain to upgrade products with added resiliency and boost business continuity.

Cloud Services: Services provided over the internet, including data storage, software applications, and processing power. Essential for modern business operations and scalability. Examples include Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.

Dynamic IP: Other providers use dynamic IP, which is an IP address shared between multiple devices. This is less suitable for VoIP business applications, as they require a static IP to operate effectively.

Static IP: As Internet Protocol addresses are assigned to a particular device when connecting to the internet, in some cases, IP addresses may be allocated to several devices on the same network. Static IPs on the other hand is allocated to a specific device permanently, making it essential for businesses that run multiple servers internally.

Contention Ratio: The maximum number of users sharing a data transmission line. A lower contention ratio means less sharing and better performance for each user. A typical residential broadband service has a contention ratio between 1:20 and 1:60, whereas Faster Britain will only ever have 1:8 as a maximum. With FibreBright, there is no contention, providing businesses with their very own connectivity highway, not just a lane.

Ping times:  The time a packet of data takes to reach a host and return. This is critical for measuring the speed of a service. You’ll typically see the term when you conduct a speed check on your device.

VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol, a technology that allows for voice and video communication and is the key catalyst of the PSTN switch-off. You’ll see this used when referring to virtual conferencing, Microsoft Teams calls and Zoom meetings.  

SLA: Service Level Agreement; Faster Britain’s agreement to meet a certain quality standard, e.g., a six-hour fix time

Navigating the world of business broadband can seem daunting with the volume of technical terms. However, understanding the key jargon is crucial for making informed decisions about your broadband that can significantly impact your business’s productivity and efficiency.

As the UK’s leading business broadband provider, Faster Britain is committed to delivering genuine business-grade solutions that grow with you and the education you need to choose your solution wisely. Now you’re an expert in all things telecoms jargon, why not check out Faster Britain products and services and see if we can take your business connectivity to the next level?

The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and staying ahead in business often hinges on one crucial factor: reliable and robust connectivity. The impending copper switch-off, scheduled for 2027, marks a significant shift that will impact local businesses across the UK. This change isn’t just a technological upgrade; it’s an essential step toward future-proofing your business, providing businesses across the UK with the bandwidth and infrastructure needed to adopt the revolutionary technology that streamlines operations, cuts costs and scales operations.

Understanding the Copper Switch-Off

The copper switch-off will phase out traditional copper-based networks, transitioning to state-of-the-art full fibre infrastructure. This move will help to drive 100% gigabit-capable connectivity to the UK by 2030, as part of the government’s commitment to enhancing digital services for businesses.

Copper, or ADSL standard broadband, provides just 24Mbps download and 10Mbps – barely enough to support small-scale use of business applications and threatening data integrity with slow data transfer speeds and higher propensity to wear and tear. This is compared to full fibre’s speeds of up to 1Gbps on FibreLight or 10Gbps on FibreBright leased lines – with symmetrical upload and download speeds to support large file transfer between servers.

All of this means that the larger incumbents are stopping selling copper services to make way for faster fibre connectivity.

How the Copper Switch-Off Benefits Local Businesses

The shift to full fibre is more than just a technological upgrade; it’s about unlocking opportunities for growth, resilience, and innovation. Here are some key benefits:

1. Faster Connectivity: Full fibre provides lightning-fast internet access, essential for improved communication and operational efficiency. This is vital for industries that rely on clear and reliable communication channels, such as real estate and customer service.

2. Future-Ready Infrastructure: As business technology evolves, the demand for broadband bandwidth increases. Like those offered by Faster Britain, full fibre networks support speeds of up to 10Gbps and beyond, enabling businesses to leverage emerging technologies and remain competitive in a digital marketplace.

3. Enhanced Productivity: High-speed internet and reliable connections empower employees to work more efficiently, collaborate seamlessly, and deliver superior services. This is crucial for sectors like manufacturing and healthcare, where efficiency and communication are paramount.

4. Cost Efficiency: Over time, full fibre can be more cost-effective due to reduced maintenance and less downtime, providing a stronger return on investment. Investing in fibre optic connectivity can make financial sense for businesses focused on long-term growth and efficiency.

Why you need to act now, before it’s too late

According to latest research, over 6% of businesses have not been contacted regarding the switch from copper to fibre. While approximately half of businesses have been contacted, 56% of businesses surveyed state that the information received has been unhelpful. That means a significant portion of UK businesses are unprepared for the switch-off and don’t realise the dangers of leaving it too late before switching to full fibre. Leaving it too late to transition gives your competitors ample opportunity to spend three years innovating with AI, robotics, and cloud services to dominate your market. With that in mind, switching now gives you enough time to adjust to a faster future and realise the endless opportunities associated with full fibre.

Burton’s Digital Transformation

In Burton, Faster Britain has been instrumental to the transition to full fibre, with a profound impact on local businesses. Burton’s business landscape is dominated by real estate and manufacturing, making ultrafast connectivity essential to powering technology in automated inventory management, robotic-assisted assembly lines, supply chain monitoring and smart devices across property portfolios. For example, Burton’s rich manufacturing and industrial landscape has seen significant advancements. With nationwide brewing businesses like Coors, Carling, Worthington Bitters and Marston’s underpinning Burton’s rich economy, it’s important to have a connectivity infrastructure that can maintain the region’s thriving local economy thanks to nationally-known brands, as well as support smaller businesses on their growth journey.

Preparing for the Future

The copper switch-off is not a hurdle; it’s an opportunity for businesses to elevate their connectivity and drive growth. By transitioning to full-fibre networks now, businesses can ensure they are prepared for the future and capable of leveraging new technologies. Check your eligibility for full fibre connectivity today using our postcode checker. Don’t wait—future-proof your business and stay ahead of the curve with Faster Britain. To find out more on all the benefits of switching from copper to fibre, read our expert guide here.

Seamless connectivity is the critical enabler behind thriving businesses. From harnessing the revolutionary technology that allows businesses to tap into different markets to just speeding up day-to-day operations like transferring files, full fibre is bridging the connectivity market around the UK. One way that Faster Britain, powered by ITS Technology Group, is doing their part is by partnering with local providers on board the Faster Britain bus to highlight the transformative potential of ultrafast networks. Recently, the bus hit the roads in Greater Manchester with local provider Red Rock Communications to engage with local businesses on the importance of true business-grade connectivity.

How Faster Britain is building partnerships for progress

The Faster Britain bus recently rolled into Tameside, bringing together Faster Britain, Red Rock Communications, and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. The goal was to demonstrate how an ultrafast network is essential for community development, particularly in areas like Oldham.

The event was a testament to how local partnerships are pivotal in driving digital transformation and economic growth. Greater Manchester’s economy is thriving, and with a GDP of £88 billion – representing 4.5% of England’s overall economy, it’s important to continually uplift the region’s business community to ensure the future success of the British economy.

That’s why Faster Britain and Red Rock specifically targeted Denton Business Park to engage with private businesses, educating them on how high-speed internet access positively impacts their progression and enhances community access, boosting the local economy and digital transformation initiatives across the region.

At Denton Business Park, Red Rock’s session aboard the Faster Britain bus was an educational experience for both existing and potential customers. The event highlighted the importance of community engagement in the ongoing evolution of business connectivity. It covered the unique needs of business connectivity compared to residential and the technological opportunities it unlocks.

From the event, there were a few key messages on how Faster Britain’s network benefits Oldham businesses. These include:

• Overcoming Connectivity Challenges: Eliminating issues such as long loading times and slow file transfers.
• Enhancing Opportunities: Connecting Greater Manchester with next-generation technology like the Internet of Things (IoT), smart devices, and cloud computing.
• Upgrading Infrastructure: Helping community organisations transition from outdated systems, thus fostering digital skills development.

Engaging with local industry influencers from the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce

One of the key ways that Faster Britain and local providers like Red Rock worked to engage regional interest was by partnering with local influencers who have intimate knowledge of how the community landscape is impacted by connectivity. Working with Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce not only highlighted how integral organisations like them are to the success of the business community, but how Faster Britain has worked to collaborate with local businesses to provide solutions designed to uplift specific economies.

Katya Kravtsova from the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce emphasised the significant impact of the event on the local area. She stated:

“The experience today underscores the critical importance of connectivity for businesses. It’s not just about faster internet; it’s about empowering the community and enabling business growth.”

The Value of Business-Grade Connectivity

The bus tour underscored the true value of genuine business-grade connectivity. It highlighted that local businesses need not settle for outdated infrastructure. Instead, they can leverage the cutting-edge solutions provided by Faster Britain and local partners like Red Rock Communications to uplift and develop organisations of all sizes.

It’s integral to make the value of business-grade connectivity clear now, with the impending copper switch-off growing nearer. With a Faster Britain connection, UK businesses can move from speeds as low as 80Mbps down and 20Mbps up, to symmetrical speeds of up to 10Gbps.

This revolutionises everything within a business, from how long it takes to transfer a file to video conferencing quality and the ability to adopt and support cloud-based business applications from the likes of Microsoft Azure, SaaS, IaaS and PaaS platforms, and Amazon Web Services.

Harness business-grade connectivity through Faster Britain’s revolutionary network

If your business is ready to embrace a faster future, now is the time to explore how Faster Britain’s products and services are revolutionising the connectivity market. Faster Britain, through its strategic partnerships and innovative business solutions, is making significant strides in bridging the connectivity gap in areas like Greater Manchester and beyond. The Faster Britain bus tour is a powerful initiative that highlights the opportunities associated with true business-grade full fibre connectivity. By collaborating with local providers and community organisations embedded within the business landscape, Faster Britain is driving digital transformation and economic growth across the UK, while prioritising regional success.

Discover how Faster Britain is changing the way businesses think about broadband solutions and enabling a faster, more efficient digital landscape, and see when the bus is near you today.

Business broadband is the cornerstone of an efficient business, but not all packages are equal. In fact, UK businesses might be paying for speeds they’re not getting – with the average received speeds at just 73.21Mbps. This discrepancy highlights the importance of regularly reviewing your broadband package to ensure it meets your business needs before your contract expires. Doing so allows you to seamlessly switch to a provider that guarantees reliable, high-speed connectivity round-the-clock. Today, we’ll provide you with all the tell-tale signs that your current connectivity package isn’t up to the challenge of your growing business and explain all the operational benefits associated with a gigabit-capable full fibre connection.

Is Your Broadband Cutting It?

With an average business broadband speed of just 73.21Mbps, many businesses are left behind in an increasingly data-driven world. Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) require robust, high-speed connections to stay competitive, especially with the growing reliance on artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, and cloud computing. These technologies demand fast upload and download speeds that only full fibre can deliver. That means to keep up with modern trends; organisations need to adopt connectivity that can accommodate these bandwidth-hungry technologies before the competition gets a head start. One sure-fire way to know if your connectivity package is up to the challenge is to assess whether it’s displaying one of the many symptoms of poor connectivity.

Here are some common signs that it’s time to upgrade your broadband to a Faster Britain connection:

Patchy Connectivity: If your business experiences inconsistent connectivity across multiple sites or within your office, it’s a clear sign that your current broadband package is inadequate. Reliable connectivity is crucial for maintaining productivity and ensuring seamless operations.

Drop-offs During Video Conferencing: Remote working has become a staple but demands high bandwidth for flawless video calls. If your team frequently encounters interruptions and poor video quality, it’s due to insufficient bandwidth.

Slow Adoption of Bandwidth-Hungry Technology: Struggling to implement the latest technological advancements could be due to your broadband limitations. Technologies like AI, expected to contribute significantly to global GDP, require fast, reliable internet to function optimally.

Slow File Transfer Speeds: If transferring large files between users takes longer than it should, it’s a sign that you aren’t getting the speeds you’re paying for.

Sluggish Connections at Peak Times: Copper connections and lower bandwidths often lead to congestion during peak times, slowing down your operations. A modern, ultrafast full fibre connection can eliminate this bottleneck.

What Does Faster Britain Offer UK Businesses?

Faster Britain’s next-generation full fibre network is designed to propel UK businesses into the future. With connectivity packages offering up to 1Gbps on FibreLight and 10Gbps on a wholly dedicated FibreBright, Faster Britain ensures:

Future-Proofing: Embrace emerging technologies like IoT-enabled smart devices, such as environmental monitoring technology, with confidence.

Operational Efficiency: Eliminate bottlenecks caused by dropped connections and slow speeds, keeping employees productive and online platforms running.

Enhanced Security: More resilient fibre connections are crucial in an era of rising cyber threats. 39% of UK businesses identified a cyber security threat in recent years, so it’s now more important than ever to adopt a connectivity package that prioritises security with a 100% electro-magnetic interference resistant full fibre footprint.

Cost Efficiency: Flexible packages that grow with your business, ensuring you only pay for what you need. Faster Britain’s 10Gbps-enabled network ensures that even if your business starts at speeds of just 100Mbps, you can grow your bandwidth as demand increases without significant infrastructure upgrades.

Reduced Downtime: Reliable backup and resiliency options to maintain an ‘always on’ business model. Organisations lose up to 11% of their yearly revenue thanks to unexpected downtime, but with industry-leading service level agreements, Faster Britain solutions prioritise business continuity.

Don’t Get Left Behind in the Faster Britain revolution

Four in five UK companies face challenges in implementing digital transformation strategies due to poor connectivity. Don’t let your business be one of them. The Faster Britain network provides the tools and infrastructure necessary to navigate the fibre revolution confidently. With a team of over 500 specialist and strategic partnerships, we can connect any business in the UK with true business-grade full fibre designed to transform business productivity and efficiency.

If you think your current connectivity solution isn’t quite up to scratch, reach out to Faster Britain today, and see how a fully 10Gbps-enabled connectivity solution can change the face of your business.

Rapid digitalisation means having high-quality, reliable internet in commercial properties is more crucial than ever. It’s not just a convenience—it’s a necessity that impacts daily operations, competitiveness, and growth potential.

The UK has a diverse mix of property types, each requiring robust, reliable connectivity in multiple ways to meet landlords’, developers’, and tenants’ needs.

However, many properties must upgrade to smarter environments. The impending PSTN switch-off threatens many common attributes within properties, such as lifts, and replacing traditional copper lines with all-IP networks is becoming more urgent.

Faster Britain is leading the charge in connecting the UK’s property sector with 100% gigabit-capable full-fibre connectivity, but this begs the question: how relevant is full fibre to the success of property? Today, we’ll discuss how full fibre enables properties across industries to tap into improved tenant experience and adopt the technologies that revolutionise property green technology access and more.

Why full fibre?

The demand for data is increasing, and with this comes an increasing need for infrastructure that can accommodate this. All bandwidth-hungry technology, be it smart devices such as lighting and heating control to cloud-based CRM systems, need an ultrafast data highway to transfer information at the speed of light safely. These speeds are simply unattainable for legacy copper networks solutions.

This means that property agents and landlords who don’t invest in more modern infrastructure like full fibre struggle to adopt technology that can improve tenant access to the internet and retain tenants for longer.

Full fibre provides symmetrical upload and download speeds that are essential for property owners of all types to operate effectively. Here are some examples of where full fibre can transform the property sector:

Shopping Centres: Full fibre isn’t just connecting landlords and managing agents with faster speeds; it’s directly impacting retailers, speeding up their usage of point-of-sale systems, online inventory management and customer data management, and connecting shoppers with faster Guest Wi-Fi experience.

Multi-Occupier Business Units: As businesses grow, so does their connectivity and data usage. Full fibre provides the flexibility to allow businesses within commercial units to grow their bandwidth to their usage needs, while providing the speeds they need to operate cloud-based business applications across Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Industrial Parks and Estates: Industrial parks encapsulate some of the broadest range of industries, meaning their usage of bandwidth-hungry devices varies. However, with many of these parks and estates occupied by organisations within the manufacturing and logistics sectors, full fibre facilitates and encourages the continual use of cost-cutting, efficiency-boosting technology lines, quality assurance and stock control with the capability to feed data back in real time.

Why Faster Britain?

With much of the UK property market still on legacy infrastructure, the Faster Britain network is proving essential to digitising properties across retail to multi-dwelling units (MDUs). Here are some of the benefits that the property sector can reap with business-grade full fibre:

• Attracting and Retaining Tenants: With such a competitive tenancy landscape, landlords need to adopt connectivity that attracts and retains tenants. Reliable high-speed internet is crucial for data-hungry sectors like retail, creative industries, and finance and with the explosion of remote working in MDUs, growing headcounts in business units and a migration of high street retailers to large shopping complexes, property managers can increase tenant attraction.
• Property Value: Return on investment is at the heart of why full fibre is essential to the property sector. With demand on bandwidth only expected to grow with the expansion of cloud computing and business applications, buildings with upgraded internet infrastructure command higher rents and buying prices in the future.
• Boost Your WiredScore: A WiredScore is a certification that helps commercial buildings stand out from the crowd and attract tech-savvy tenants. The Faster Britain network ensures landlords and managing agents can access a WiredScore certification that proves to your commercial tenants that you’re committed to accommodating the future of technology.

Trust Faster Britain’s next generation to boost your property portfolio

With so many benefits and opportunities to adopt technology that enhances your property portfolio, it’s time to connect with a network that provides business-grade broadband for the future. Faster Britain’s revolutionary connectivity solutions are designed to put scalability first, allowing property managers and landlords for all property types to attract and retain tenants while digitising for the future. Contact Faster Britain today to see how the UK’s leading business full fibre network can take you into a connected building future.

Good quality internet connectivity is essential for both personal and professional life; however, the needs of residential users and businesses differ significantly, leading to distinct differences in the broadband services for residential and business connectivity. Understanding these differences can help businesses make informed decisions about their internet services, ensuring they select the right type of broadband to meet their operational needs and reduce downtime to protect revenue. This blog explores the main differences between business and residential broadband to help you make an informed choice about your business connectivity.

Residential Broadband – Built for Content Consumption

Residential broadband is primarily designed to support content consumption. The average household uses the internet to stream videos from platforms like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ – with 66% of homes using a Video on Demand Service (VDoS). These activities require reliable and consistent performance but typically involve fewer simultaneous users than in a business environment.

Residential internet providers focus on delivering a seamless experience for streaming and general browsing. Key characteristics of residential broadband include:

• High Download Speeds: To facilitate smooth streaming of high-definition content and quick downloading of large files.
• Latency Tolerance: Generally more tolerant to higher latency as minor delays do not critically affect consumer activities.
• Basic Security: Adequate for protecting against common threats but not as robust as businesses require.
• Cost-Effective Plans: Designed to be affordable for households, often with varying speed tiers to cater to different needs and budgets.

Business Broadband – Engineered for Performance and Reliability

On the other hand, business broadband is tailored to meet the rigorous demands of business operations, from simultaneous video conferencing around the office to accommodating potentially hundreds of users over the same connection. That means the requirements for business internet extend far beyond just streaming and browsing, encompassing a wide array of critical applications and services.

Bandwidth-hungry business cloud applications from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud require high bandwidth with fast upload and download to facilitate large file upload and download speeds. For example, for AWS services, users streaming the lowest video quality at 480p will need at least 1Mbps per simultaneous user for services to run smoothly. This poses a problem for medium to large-sized businesses on a slower, residential-grade service.

Key attributes of business broadband include:

• Higher Bandwidth: Businesses often have more users and devices connected simultaneously, demanding greater bandwidth to prevent downtime and ensure efficient operations from file transfer to video calling.
• Enhanced Security: With the threat of cyberattacks and data breaches only increasing year-on-year, business broadband typically includes advanced security measures to protect both private business and customer data.
• Reliability and Uptime: Many business functions are mission-critical, requiring robust uptime guarantees and reliability to prevent costly downtime. Business-grade Service Level Agreements (SLAs) often ensure a high level of service and rapid response to issues. Businesses in the UK lost £3.7 billion of yearly revenue to unexpected downtime, so it’s essential to connect to a business-grade service to protect revenue.
• Quality of Service (QoS): This feature prioritises critical applications like video conferencing and Voice traffic to ensure smooth and uninterrupted performance even during peak usage times.
• Scalability: As businesses grow, so do their data usage and workforce size. Business broadband services are designed to scale efficiently, accommodating increased demand without compromising performance.

Additionally, business broadband must support integration with other technologies, such as IoT devices and smart office solutions, further emphasising the need for a robust and versatile connectivity solution.

Choosing the Right Broadband for Your Business

For business owners, selecting the appropriate broadband service is crucial. Opting for a residential service may seem cost-effective initially, but it can lead to inadequate performance and increased risks in the long run. On the other hand, investing in business broadband ensures that your company has the necessary tools to operate efficiently, securely, and reliably.

Don’t let inadequate broadband hold your business back. Download Faster Britain’s guide to business and residential broadband today and discover the connectivity solution that will drive your business forward. Ensure your operations are supported by reliable, high-performance broadband tailored to your specific needs. Click here to download the guide now and take the first step towards better business connectivity.

Businesses have never been more fast-paced, and with efficiency and security at the forefront of priorities, modern businesses need a scalable, cost-efficient, and flexible solution that on-premises storage struggle to meet.

With this rapid change, cloud services provide vital support for businesses – but they need robust, high-speed connectivity in place to get the most out of cloud computing. This is where full fibre is essential, providing the crucial connectivity backbone to support ultrafast storage and retrieval from the cloud.

The Cloud Computing Revolution

Cloud computing provides a revolutionary solution to the way businesses operate. Instead of relying on in-house data storage, businesses now have the chance to leverage cloud services from many providers, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure. These services include everything from Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) to Software as a Service (SaaS), offering businesses a data storage solution that’s faster, more cost-efficient, and more secure.

However, cloud computing acts as a critical enabler for remote collaboration transfer of large files between sites and reinforces data security with backup services in the event of a cyber security breach.

In 2022, 39% of businesses identified a cyber security attack which jeopardised important data. With cloud-based backup solutions, businesses stand in better stead to recover from these attacks. This helps to avoid costly reputational damage, regulatory sanctions from data privacy violations and even employee data theft from cybercriminals.

Why full fibre?

Cloud computing and full fibre go hand-in-hand. Cloud computing relies on a robust, fast infrastructure to transfer large data sets – only possible with a full fibre connection. Let’s explore how they complement each other:

1. Speed and latency

With full fibre, the next generation of internet speed is here. Full fibre ensures that data travels at the speed of light, and with up to 10Gbps with Faster Britain, data can travel swiftly between users and cloud servers, minimising lag, and latency. This is essential for vital applications like real-time cloud-based data analysis, video conferencing, online gaming, and crypto trading. These speeds are simply unattainable without full fibre – making it vital to the full expansion of cloud computing in business.

2. Data centre connectivity

Data centres play a provides role in the cloud computing ecosystem, housing the servers and infrastructure that provide cloud services. Full fibre connections between data centres and end-users are the backbone of cloud services, as full fibre allows data to travel between data centres and users at a rapid rate – improving response times. Full fibre also allows uploading and downloading data to and from the cloud at symmetrical speeds.

3.Bandwidth demands

Cloud services are bandwidth hungry. This is especially true for businesses with extensive data transfer, upload and download requirements. With full fibre’s symmetrical speeds and infinite scalability, businesses can provide the bandwidth backbone to support cloud services without worrying about interruptions in service, bottlenecks, or congestion at peak times.

Benefits for businesses

Businesses need to utilise a connectivity infrastructure that can support demanding cloud-based services, and they need to recognise its importance ahead of competitors. Here’s what full fibre can offer businesses when implementing cloud-based services:

1. Improved productivity

High-speed, low-latency connectivity means businesses can access and collaborate on cloud-based applications without delays. This increased productivity gives businesses valuable time back and allows them to focus on the most crucial development objectives.

2. Reduced downtime

Full fibre’s reliability minimises downtime, ensuring that cloud-based services are accessible when needed the most, such as during cyber security attacks. Downtime can be costly, with Siemens estimating that unplanned downtime can cost businesses 11% of their yearly revenue. With ultrafast data transfer speeds and full fibre’s resilience, businesses can use cloud services without worrying about downtime.

3. Collaboration and remote work

In today’s increasingly remote work environment, full fibre offers seamless collaboration through video conferencing, cloud-based project management, and file sharing. Employees can work from anywhere with confidence in their connectivity, giving companies the chance to expand their employability reach, tap into diverse talent pools and globalise at an accelerated rate.

With Faster Britain, businesses can continue to embrace the cloud, knowing they have the connectivity backbone to thrive in the digital age. Need a connectivity solution built for the future of technology? Get in touch with us today. Top of Form