Fibre optic technology is a very efficient and fast way of connecting to the internet, but many organisations also use it to provide a completely private connection between two or more sites.

That, in a nutshell, is the difference between internet leased line fibre and point to point – one connects to the internet and one does not. In this article we’ll explore the similarities and differences between internet leased lines and point to point fibre, explain what each technology may be used for, how you’d go about installing each and give you some technical detail, too.

At a glance – point to point v internet leased lines

Pricing will vary depending on whether you choose point-to-point or internet fibre. Read more about how we determine your leased line price here.

Internet leased line fibre

Also known as: Dedicated internet fibre, Fibre Ethernet service, Fibre Optic Leased Line, Dedicated Internet Access or Direct Internet Access.

How Dedicated Internet Fibre connects businesses to the internet:

• A dedicated ethernet fibre to the business premises is delivered usually via duct (but sometimes via aerial fibre) from the nearest serving exchange.
• Dedicated internet fibre provides a dedicated synchronous Internet bandwidth that is not shared with any other client.

Speed:

• The fibre to the premises is usually known as the Bearer and this comes in variants of 100Mbps, 1Gbps and 10Gbps.
• Customers may choose to have dedicated bandwidth in increments up to the bearer size.
• If bandwidth bearer capacity exists then customers can upgrade their bandwidth usually within a few days.

What would you use it for?

• Supporting cloud-based applications.
• Transferring large amounts of data, for example as a creative agency that needs to share large files.
• Supporting remote work.
• Supporting VoIP infrastructure.
• Supporting critical infrastructure that cannot lose connection to the internet.

Installation:

• The lead time is usually 30 working days for installation provided there are no additional civil engineering Excess Construction Costs (ECC’s).
• Installation costs vary according to the engineering work required (ECC’s) which is determined at survey by an Openreach engineer who visits the premises.
• The service does not include a telephone line or number and cannot be migrated to another provider.
• Openreach fibre terminating equipment is either wall mounted or rack mounted into the customer comms cabinet.
• Customer interface presentation from Openreach has options to be either Ethernet RJ45 up to 1Gbps, Single Mode Fibre (SMF) or Multi Mode Fibre (MMF).

Service Levels:

• Fix time – four hour response, five hour fix regardless of day or time.

Point to Point Fibre

Also known as: Fibre Ethernet service, leased line or possibly private circuit.

How Point to Point connects business premises:

• Dedicated Ethernet fibre between two business premises delivered usually via underground duct (but sometimes via aerial fibre) from the local serving telephone exchanges.
• There is no internet access on a point-to-point fibre service.

Speed:

• Maximum radial distance between customer premises is 45km for up to 1Gbps services and 25km for 10Gbps.
• Maximum route distances of fibre is 86km for up to 1Gbps services and 40km for 10Gbps.

What would you use it for?

• Typically used to link two customer buildings together at very high speed so that staff can operate as if they were located in the same premises.
• Private infrastructure that needs to be protected from internet-borne threats.

Installation:

• Installation costs vary according to the engineering work required (Excess Construction Costs – ECC’s) which is determined at survey by an Openreach engineer who visits the premises.
• The lead time is usually 30 working days for installation provided there are no additional ECC’s.
• The service does not include a telephone service or number and cannot be migrated to another provider.
• At the A-end premises Openreach will also install their own monitoring line and broadband.
• Openreach fibre terminating equipment is either wall mounted or rack mounted into the customer comms cabinet.
• Customer interface presentation from Openreach has options to be either Ethernet RJ45 up to 1Gbps, Single Mode Fibre (SMF) or Multi Mode Fibre (MMF).

Service Levels:

• Fix time – four hour response, five hour fix regardless of day or time.

If you’re not quite ready for dedicated fibre just yet, learn more about your broadband options with the following articles:

• What’s the difference between FTTP broadband and a leased line?
• What’s the difference between FTTC and FTTP broadband?