When it comes to business connectivity, it’s crucial you have a solution in place that supports the required capacity needs of today and that it can scale to suit the demands of tomorrow, all while being robust, secure and resilient.
More and more businesses are looking to dedicated connectivity options that ensure their services are always-on and to eliminate the risk of downtime. Just recently connectivity partner, Beaming, conducted a survey in conjunction with research company Opinium, which determined that internet downtime cost UK businesses upwards of £12.3 billion in lost productivity, clocking up 149 million lost business hours!
Historically SMEs with demand for lower bandwidth connectivity would opt for broadband services, but this comes at a cost, for example; sharing internet access with surrounding buildings, and relying on lengthy fix times should there be issues with the connection. In a world when connectivity is more important than ever many are starting to question if it is worth the risk.
Yet there is still much uncertainty for those looking to upgrade their connectivity service as to which option is best suited for their business. With options including Broadband over Fibre to the Premise and Broadband over Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTP and FTTC), Ethernet over Fibre to the Premise (EoFTTP) and Ethernet over Fibre the Cabinet (EoFTTC), Ethernet First Mile and even Full Fibre Ethernet to contend with, making an informed decision can be tricky. Further insight in to what is available to businesses looking for sub-10Gbps bandwidths is necessary.
What is Broadband over FTTP and FTTC?
A fibre optic broadband option, FTTP and FTTC are commonly known in both the business and residential space. It is well suited to start-ups looking to establish themselves as a player in a market and for smaller businesses that don’t have the need for higher capacities and faster speeds nor have concerns around sharing service bandwidth or any major data security challenges to overcome.
Generally offered in bandwidths up to 30Mbps, fibre broadband provides connectivity over a mix of fibre and copper (FTTC) and pure fibre (FTTP) dependant on location. It typically has longer SLA and fix times compared to their Ethernet counterparts, often as long as the next working day (and usually excluding weekends and bank holidays) – in fact, often fibre broadband comes with no SLA at all.
What is Ethernet First Mile?
While Ethernet First Mile (EFM) has been around for some time, there is still a lot of uncertainty around when this service should be considered. Seen as a low-cost alternative to low capacity Full Fibre Ethernet, EFM provides uncontended bandwidth in capacities up to 20Mbps. It uses purely bonded copper and tends to cover vast distances hence the lower bandwidth availability.
Often known as the entry level service into Ethernet connectivity, it guarantees better SLAs and more robust connectivity options than FTTC and FTTP broadband, but with only low bandwidth options available it’s often overlooked.
What is Ethernet over FTTP and FTTC?
Collectively known as EoFTTx, this service is well placed to fill the niche for those looking to upgrade to a full fibre Ethernet solution but who aren’t quite ready for the financial commitment. It enables smaller businesses still establishing themselves and multi-site organisations where some of their holdings have minimal on-site employees, to take advantage of dedicated Ethernet connectivity – but at a fraction of the cost and at capacities better suited to their business.
As with Broadband FTTP and FTTC, EoFTTx is delivered over either a mixture of fibre and copper (EoFTTC) and pure fibre (EoFTTP), however the range of capacities available are substantially higher, with sub-100Mbps services readily available for EoFTTC and sub-1Gbps services available for EoFTTP, all with agreed SLA fix times of just seven hours.
Our recently launched EoFTTx services are available in over 650,000 UK business postcodes and counting, delivered from just shy of 1,150 exchanges across the nation. Learn more about our Ethernet over FTTx services here.
What is Full Fibre Ethernet?
Full Fibre Ethernet connectivity has been around for some time. In fact, the service was originally launched in the UK by Neos Networks back in 2001. Originally available in capacities ranging from 10Mbps up to 1Gbps, more recently we have launched 10Gbps Fibre Ethernet options in more than 170 exchanges across the UK.
Known for providing a synchronous, high bandwidth service, Ethernet Fibre is best suited to well-established businesses with a strong reliance on shorter SLA fix times and with a need for higher capacities and a faster network service.
We’re proud to have one of the largest business Ethernet networks in the UK, spanning 20,000+km, 90 commercial data centres and over 350 PoPs. In addition, our national footprint is on-track to connect over 550 on-net exchanges by the end of 2021.
With so many connectivity options available it can be hard to find the solution best suited for your business. At Neos Networks, we’re proud to offer a range of connectivity options to suit all business types, with both our Ethernet over FTTx and Fibre Ethernet services available to quote and order immediately via our online price comparison engine, LIVEQUOTE. Take the first step in supporting your digital future by requesting access to our pricing portal today.
