Broadband Guide

Business broadband packages

Updated: Tuesday 04 January, 2011

By Garnet Roach - garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

The right business broadband package can make a huge difference to your company - making it more efficient as well as improving your website, helping more customers find you faster.

No matter what size your business is, whether you’ve got 20 employees or work from home on your own, your company could benefit from a dedicated business broadband package.

Compare business broadband deals from different providers to get the best package for your company.

Business broadband benefits

Many ISPs offer specific broadband packages designed with businesses in mind. The right plan will prioritise your internet traffic, give you a static IP address so that you can log on from home, and offer dedicated customer service and technical support.

Faster broadband

Many business broadband packages offer faster download speeds with 24Mb broadband, but even if you sign up to an 8Mb broadband package, priority network access could still give you faster downloads.

You might also get a lower contention ratio with a business tariff, offering 20:1 rather than 50:1 for example.

Priority network access means that your web traffic will take priority over other things being sent over the same lines, while a lower contention ratio means that you’ll be sharing your line with less people - all improving your connection and giving your customers a better experience when they visit your website.

Customer support

Business broadband providers understand how important it is that you have a reliable internet connection - anytime you're cut off from the net could lose your company money.

Because of this, most business broadband tariffs offer priority customer support and technical advice to help resolve any problems as quickly as possible.

Speedy uploads

Priority network access isn’t the only speed benefit that you get with business broadband. Many companies also need fast upload speeds - and some plans can give speeds of up to 2.5Mb.

Generous download allowances

Business providers know that you have different needs to consumers; running multiple PCs, backing up your server and uploading files to your website all adds up to high monthly downloads - something your supplier will take into account.

Static IP addresses

A static IP address offers a multitude of benefits, from being able to connect to your office PC from home to running a secure FTP system to share files with colleagues and clients.

Webspace and email addresses

While bigger companies might pay someone to run their email system and create their websites, smaller businesses can benefit from the .co.uk webspace and email addresses offered by many business broadband providers.

Business broadband-only packages

If you're going for a broadband-only business package, remember to think about your needs as a user and look for the features that will offer your company the biggest benefits. Don’t be tempted to sign up to a more expensive plan just because it has more features - if you won’t use them they will simply be a waste of money.

Business phone and broadband packages

If you decide to bundle your business broadband with a phone package - which can save you money - you should take into account other factors as well as your broadband connection. Compare call packages and out of bundle costs so that you get the best overall deal and remember to take line rental into account too.