Understanding the Different BTnet Services… A BTnet Service is Simply a Leased Line.
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While there are a number of providers of leased lines in the UK, BT continues to have ‘significant market power’ in this area, according to Ofcom, making them a top choice for many businesses. One of the reasons BT business dominates the leased line world is that it offers two practical BTnet services that provide businesses of all sizes with a dedicated, uncontended leased line for increased speed and reliability.
The two BTnet leased line services on offer are BTnet EFM/GEA and BTnet Ethernet Fibre. So, what’s the difference between these two BTnet services, and could a BT leased line be a good solution for you?
It’s important to note that in terms of service, there’s actually very little different between BTnet EFM/GEA and BTnet Ethernet Fibre. With both BTnet services, businesses will see the following benefits:
- Symmetrical upload and download speeds
- Greater than 99.99% service availability
- 24/7 support with faults fixed with 7 hours
- Unlimited usage and no ‘fair usage’ policy
- Ultra low latency to prioritise network traffic
So how do these two BTnet leased line services differ? It’s almost all to do with bandwidth. BTnet EFM/GEA provides guaranteed upload and download speeds between 2 Mbps and 35 Mbps. This is either delivered over EFM (ethernet first mile) or GEA (generic ethernet access) depending on the desired speed.
BTnet Ethernet fibre is a full fibre leased line & delivers speeds between 2 Mbps and 10 Gbps.
How a BTnet leased line works
When internet is critical to your business success you naturally want the best connection which is a leased line.A BTnet Leased Line works like any other Leased Line, the name is just commercially used for BT. A Leased Line is a fibre optic cable that runs from your local exchange point directly to your premises. It’s a completely different to fibre broadband as it misses out the street cabinet, hence it being a non-shared line.
With BTnet Leased lines you can pick whatever speed you’d like, between 10Mb and 10Gb. This speed will be symmetrical and can be upgraded when needed (you cannot go any higher than 10GB).
Again, BT EFM/GEA is the same as standard EFM’s. EFM stands for “Ethernet First Mile”, it uses a mixture of fibre and copper pairs. A Fibre optic cable will come from the exchange point so far, then this will change into copper pairs the rest of the way to your premises.
It has all the same benefits of a BTnet Leased line such as, being an uncontended line, symmetrical upload and download speeds, SLA (Service Level Agreement) etc, the other difference is the speed. With BTnet EFM the max speed you can achieve is around 40mb. Both these BTnet services are brilliant for a VoIP phone line and other IT services.
Deciding which one is best for you comes down to the speed you need and your budget. If you need something with a highest bandwidth and have a good budget, then BTnet Leased lines are for you, but If you need lower speeds and have a smaller budget, then BT EFM/GEA would be best.
Can I get a leased line?
Leased lines are available anywhere with the UK, it’s just depended on if you can afford it. The price will be higher depending on your location and how rural you are, for example, you could get a 10mb Leased Line cheaper in London than you could in the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
ECC’s can also put the price of Leased Lines up, ISP’s will normally cover a certain amount of ECC’s, and a lot of the time none come up, but it’s just something to keep in mind. The reason you can get Leased Line everywhere is because there is no need for a roadside cabinet, the fibre it just placed underground all the way from the exchange point to your premises.
How much does BTnet cost?
The two BTnet product differ in price quite a bit due to the speed difference. BTNet EFM/GEA starts from £195 per month, this can change depending on your location and how rural you are, where BTnet Leased Lines start from £320 per month (this is based on 100MB, lower bandwidths will be cheaper).
Again, the price of the BTnet Leased Line will differ depending on your location, how rural you are, the speed you choose, and if you incur any ECC’s (excess construction charges). Many ISP’s will resell BTnet fibre at a much lower cost, so it is always worth looking around before making the decision to stay with BT.
One way to ensure you get the best price for a Leased Line is to run a quick and easy comparison with us. Just fill out our Leased Line webform, wait for a call from a friendly sales person, and receive your quotes with 1-2 working days.
Which BTnet product is best?
That really depends upon a number of factors, including desired speed, budget, and location. For example, you’ll typically pay less for GEA if you’re located within a GEA-enabled exchange area. It’s a good idea to compare leased line services to find the best for you.
Another brilliant benefit is the 4G assure service that BT business offers, if your internet connection ever goes down then you won’t lose connection due to the 4G backup. This is crucial for internet-based companies as they can’t afford to be without Wi-fi for even one second.
Is a BTnet Leased Line for Me?
BT is a major provider of leased lines to businesses in the UK, and while they do offer two excellent BTnet leased line products, it’s important to remember that different businesses will always have different needs and requirements. One of the primary benefits of leased lines is that it provides your business with more flexibility to get things done your own way, so it’s essential that you have a solution that fits in with your way of working.
However, BT are notorious for being the most expensive provider when selling direct. You can still get the same product & benefits by getting a BT leased line through a re-seller who buy it wholesale price which is heavily discounted, passing on the savings to you.
Comparing leased line prices is the quickest & easiest way to find the best deal on the market and pick the most suitable leased line provider.