Compare Leased Line Costs & Providers Across the UK

What is a leased line and how does it differ from broadband?

A leased line — also called Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) — gives you bandwidth no one else shares, symmetric upload and download, and a contractual uptime guarantee. Broadband is contended, asymmetric and carries no meaningful SLA. That is the whole reason businesses pay more for a line.

The three differences that matter:

• Dedicated capacity: Broadband shares bandwidth with neighbouring premises, so speeds drop at peak times (roughly 8–10am and 5–7pm). A leased line delivers its contracted speed at all times.
• Symmetric speed: A 1 Gbps leased line gives 1 Gbps up *and* down — essential for VoIP, cloud apps and large uploads. Broadband upload is typically a fraction of download.
• Guaranteed SLA: Leased lines specify uptime (typically 99.99% or 99.95%), fault response, repair times and service credits if breached. Broadband promises none of this.

For the full technical breakdown, read our guide on what a leased line is and the detailed leased line vs broadband comparison.

What does AMVIA's leased line service include?

AMVIA manages the whole lifecycle — survey, carrier selection, installation and ongoing fault management — so you deal with one provider instead of an Openreach support queue. We are network-agnostic, comparing every major UK carrier by postcode.

• Dedicated Internet Access (DIA): Fully uncontended, symmetric fibre from 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps across most UK commercial postcodes.
• Guaranteed SLA: Typically 99.99% or 99.95% uptime, with defined fault response, repair windows and service-credit compensation.
• SD-WAN and network management: Intelligently route and prioritise business-critical traffic across multiple circuits from one portal.
• Multi-site connectivity: Link offices over MPLS or SD-WAN so internal traffic never touches the public internet.
• Failover and resilience: Pair the primary line with broadband or 4G/5G backup for automatic switchover.
• End-to-end installation management: We coordinate carrier engineers and manage the cutover from your existing connection with minimal disruption.

Why do UK SMEs need a leased line?

Once a connection carries cloud apps, VoIP and a growing headcount, contended broadband becomes a productivity tax. A leased line removes peak-time slowdown and gives you an SLA to hold a carrier to. Ofcom tracks UK fixed connectivity in its Connected Nations report, the authoritative source on national network performance.

According to the source data, 39% of UK business internet connections are now fixed leased lines (Ofcom Connected Nations, 2024), and the UK broadband average download speed is just 69.4 Mbps (Ofcom Connected Nations 2024) — well below what a busy office needs. AMVIA manages connectivity for UK businesses, including multi-site leased line estates.

A leased line is usually worth considering if:

• You have 25 or more staff sharing one connection
• You depend on cloud services (Microsoft 365, ERP, CRM) that need consistent bandwidth
• You host systems clients or remote workers must reach reliably
• You run VoIP and need guaranteed call quality
• Your broadband slows noticeably at peak times
• You need a contractual SLA for regulatory or commercial reasons

How much does a leased line cost in the UK?

Leased line pricing depends on speed, postcode and carrier. Lines start from £69/mo, with the full range shaped by distance to the nearest fibre exchange. Urban postcodes (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield) generally cost less than rural ones. Because pricing is so location-dependent, the only reliable figure is a quote for your exact address.

Installation is usually zero or a one-off £500–£1,500 connection charge (typical UK 2026 range), depending on whether fibre already reaches the building. Most carriers require a minimum 36-month term. AMVIA accesses pricing from BT Openreach, Virgin Media Business, Zayo, CityFibre and Hyperoptic, then presents the most competitive option for your postcode and speed.

How long does leased line installation take?

A new leased line typically takes 30–90 working days from order to live service, because it involves a physical survey, fibre build where none exists, and carrier coordination. AMVIA tracks every milestone and can supply a temporary 4G/5G router if you need connectivity before the line goes live.

The typical timeline:

• Days 1–5: Order placed; carrier desktop survey confirms availability and pricing.
• Days 5–15: Physical site survey to plan the install route.
• Days 15–45: Fibre installation — shorter if fibre already reaches the building.
• Days 45–60: Testing, configuration and cutover from the existing connection.

How do you keep a leased line resilient and secure?

Even a 99.99% SLA cannot stop a digger cutting fibre. For business-critical sites, pair the primary line with a secondary circuit configured for automatic failover — and treat the connection as part of your security perimeter, not just plumbing. The NCSC recommends building resilience and redundancy into critical business connectivity.

Common failover options:

• Secondary leased line: Maximum resilience, highest cost — trading floors, healthcare, critical infrastructure.
• Broadband failover: Lower cost and bandwidth, activates automatically — fine for most SMEs.
• 4G/5G router failover: Fastest to deploy, no install; limited bandwidth, ideal for short outages.

Because a leased line is a direct path into your network, AMVIA layers leased line security — firewalling, segmentation and monitoring — over every circuit we manage, configured through SD-WAN or a managed router so a failure never becomes a disruption.