The Complete Guide to Comparing Leased Line Costs in 2025

Why is comparing leased line costs harder than comparing broadband?

Leased line comparison is harder because the product is bespoke, not packaged. The same 100Mbps circuit from two providers at the same postcode can differ in SLA tier, installation approach, contract flexibility, and total five-year cost — so a side-by-side monthly price tells you almost nothing on its own.

Broadband packages are standardised and the headline variable is the monthly price. A business leased line is a dedicated, uncontended circuit priced per site after a physical survey, which means two "100Mbps" quotes can hide thousands of pounds of difference. If you are new to the product, start with what a leased line is before you request quotes — the specification choices below only make sense once you understand what you are buying.

This guide sets out a structured approach that accounts for every variable, so you identify the best-value quote for your requirements, not just the cheapest line on the page.

Step 1: How do you define your requirements before requesting quotes?

Define speed, contract term, SLA, resilience, and your go-live deadline before you contact anyone. Vague quote requests produce incomparable responses. Specify the same parameters to every provider so the quotes you get back can be compared on a like-for-like basis.

Before approaching any network, pin down:

• Speed: Order for your expected peak in 36 months, not your current usage. A dedicated internet access circuit is symmetric, so size the upload as carefully as the download.
• Contract term: Request both 36 and 60 months and compare the total cost, not the monthly figure.
• SLA requirement: State the maximum acceptable fault resolution time. If a full-day outage would cause serious damage, specify an enhanced SLA (4–6 hour MTTR) rather than accepting a standard one.
• Resilience: Decide upfront whether you need a secondary circuit or 4G/5G failover. Build backup connectivity into the comparison from the start rather than bolting it on later.
• Installation deadline: A lease expiry, office move, or contract transition sets your go-live date. Communicate it — lead times vary by network and can decide which provider is viable at all.

Step 2: What does a multi-network availability check tell you?

A postcode-level availability check identifies which physical networks can serve your building and returns pre-survey indicative pricing. It is the cheapest, fastest way to build a realistic shortlist before anyone spends time on a formal survey.

For most UK business postcodes, the check covers:

• Openreach — the widest postcode reach of any network (openreach.com)
• CityFibre — available in 285+ UK towns and cities as of 2026
• Virgin Media Business — strong urban and suburban coverage
• Tier 2 carriers (Zayo, Colt, GTT) — significant presence in major city centres

The UK's full-fibre footprint is expanding quickly under the government's Project Gigabit programme, and Ofcom's Connected Nations reporting tracks where business-grade fibre is now available — both worth checking, because availability is the single biggest driver of price at any given postcode.

Step 3: Why do you need post-survey firm quotes, not estimates?

Pre-survey estimates are indicative; post-survey quotes are binding. Once your availability check produces a shortlist of two or three networks, commission a site survey from each. The survey confirms the exact civil works and produces a firm price the provider cannot change at installation.

Request that all surveys complete before you commit to anyone. This adds time — typically 4–8 weeks — but it avoids the most common leased line trap: accepting a low pre-survey estimate that jumps substantially once the survey reveals the real groundworks. The wait is the price of certainty.

Step 4: How do you build a total cost comparison?

Build a total cost comparison, not a monthly one. Multiply the monthly rental by the contract months, add the one-off installation charge, and compare the totals. A cheaper monthly rate on a longer term frequently costs more overall — the only way to see it is to do the arithmetic.

Capture these fields for every firm quote:

A worked example shows why total cost wins:

• Provider A: £300/month × 36 months + £500 installation = £11,300 total
• Provider B: £270/month × 60 months + £0 installation = £16,200 total

Provider B is cheaper per month but costs £4,900 more across the respective terms. Whether that matters depends on your situation — but the difference is invisible until you calculate it.

Step 5: How do you compare SLA quality properly?

Read the SLA document, not the headline number. MTTR figures look comparable but rarely are. The clock-start, the coverage window, and the service credits vary enough to turn a "5-hour" SLA into an effective 8-plus-hour one.

Ask these four questions of every SLA:

• Is MTTR measured from fault report or engineer dispatch? A 5-hour MTTR that starts when the engineer is dispatched — not when you reported the fault — can mean 8+ hours of downtime.
• Is the window 24/7 or business hours only? A 6-hour MTTR that applies only in business hours gives you no cover for an overnight fault until the next working day.
• What is the service credit for a breach? Credits range from a day's rental to a month's rental depending on provider and severity.
• Are planned maintenance windows excluded? Some providers carve maintenance out of SLA calculations entirely.

For circuits carrying sensitive traffic, treat resilience and protection as one decision — see leased line security for how to harden a dedicated connection rather than assuming a private circuit is secure by default.

Step 6: How do you evaluate the provider relationship?

Beyond price and SLA, the relationship decides how a fault actually plays out. A strong headline SLA means little if escalation is slow or ownership is unclear when a circuit goes down at 9am on a Monday.

Ask who your single point of contact is for escalations, how faults are reported and tracked, and what the provider's real track record on resolution looks like — not just the contractual SLA. For organisations running several sites, factor in how the provider handles multi-site connectivity as one estate rather than a set of unrelated circuits.

AMVIA manages this whole process for UK businesses: running multi-network availability checks, coordinating surveys, and presenting post-survey firm quotes in one standardised comparison. At renewal, we benchmark the incumbent's offer against the live market so you can see whether switching is worth it. One provider. Security-first. Microsoft-certified.