A fast, reliable and secure internet connection is a vital part of any business’s infrastructure. Depending on the size of your company, you might be considering a home broadband deal to meet fairly limited connection requirements. For most businesses, though, a business-specific broadband package will make more sense because of the additional features you get, such as priority support and additional security. In this guide we walk you through some of the best business broadband deals available right now, and answer some of your most frequently-asked questions about business broadband.
What to look for
When comparing broadband deals, you may want to consider price, length of contract, speed (which will depend on your location) and bandwidth (meaning how much data you can upload and download), customer support, and whether you will have a static IP address. What does this mean? An IP address is a network ‘address’ for your computer. A residential internet connection will usually use a dynamic IP address which changes each time, whereas a business running a server will usually need a static IP address which stays the same. The benefit of a static IP address is that it means other devices can remember and connect to your server. If your company wants to offer guest Wi-Fi, for instance, this might be important to you.
BT Enhanced
BT is the UK’s largest broadband provider, claiming to cover more than 90% of the UK with its network. It offers three business broadband plans, Essential at £24.95 a month, Enhanced at £34.95 a month, and Pro at £44.95 a month. Our pick is the mid-priced Enhanced plan which could be suitable for a range of business sizes.
Best For: Businesses prioritising a reliable connection and good tech support
Key Features
- Wide-ranging network coverage as UK’s largest provider
- Access to five million Wi-Fi hotspots
- 24/7 UK-based IT support
- Minimum speed guarantee
- Guest Wi-Fi
- Emergency Wi-Fi backup using EE’s 4G
- Speeds up to 900Mbps
- Static IP address for all devices included
- Setup included
- Option to add a Cloud Voice Express digital phone line
- Option to add next-day fault fixes for £6 per month
Vodafone Pro II Broadband
Vodafone offers two business tariffs – Fibre Broadband at £23 a month or Pro II Broadband for £32.50 a month on a two-year contract. Vodafone says its 76Mbps Pro II Fibre 2 plan is cheaper than the equivalent plans from BT and Sky by as much as £220 a year.
Best For: Small businesses who can move quickly to grab a deal
Key Features
- Currently offering 50% off for 12 months on some 24-month contracts (until 31 August 2024)
- Digital phoneline included
- Free installation
- 4G broadband backup
- Super Wi-Fi 6E Booster keeps 150 devices connected and helps you avoid Wi-Fi ‘dead zones’
- Average speeds from 35Mbps to 910Mbps depending on which Business Pro II plan you choose.
- Includes Secure Net web security
- UK-based support
Virgin Media Voom 400 Fibre Business Broadband
Virgin Media offers a range of plans suitable for businesses of different sizes, from £29 a month for 200Mbps download speed up to £53 a month for 1000Mbps. There are separate bundles available which include a digital phoneline or SIM. If you just need broadband, Virgin highlights its Voom 400 Fibre Business Broadband plan as the best value, offering a download speed of 400Mbps for £35 a month on a 24-month contract. For an extra £10 a month, you can get 4G broadband back-up included and a higher level of internet security.
Best For: Fast-growing businesses which need flexibility
Key Features
- Up to 400Mbps download speed
- Dynamic IP
- Pledge to resolve issues within 24 hours
- Unlimited downloads
- No mid-contract price changes
- Flexible packages in case your business needs change
bOnline Unlimited Calling
bOnline offers fibre broadband aimed at freelancers, startups and growing small businesses. This provider offers budget-friendly options with three pricing tiers starting from £7 per user, per month.
The mid-tier Unlimited Calling tariff costs £13.95 (plus VAT) per user, per month. For this you get a digital phone line and number, unlimited inbound calls and unlimited calls to UK landline and mobiles. There are options to add international call packages if your company makes a lot of overseas calls.
Best For: Cost-conscious small businesses
Key Features
- Uses BT Openreach network
- Up to 76Mbps download speed
- Includes line rental
- Price matching if you find a cheaper deal
Trooli SuperiorBiz
Full fibre broadband provider Trooli offers four business broadband packages, of which our pick is the SuperiorBiz at £54.16 per month on a 24-month contract. However, it is currently rolling out its network coverage and is only available in South East and a couple of parts of Scotland.
Best For: Businesses in the South East wanting a fast, modern network
Key Features
- 1000Mbps download and upload speeds
- Unlimited data usage
- Free install
- Guaranteed broadband speeds
- Add-ons available including static IP and Wi-Fi Plus using Wi-Fi 6 technology
Sky Pro
Sky offers three business broadband packages for small businesses – Essential, Pro and Plus. We’ve picked the Pro deal at £34.95 a month on a 24- or 36-month contract because it’s a good all-rounder at a competitive price. You can add features like extra security or higher speeds depending on the needs of your business,
Best For: A solid-all rounder broadband deal which can be tailored to your business needs
Key Features
- Up to 900Mbps speeds
- Automatic 4G backup
- Wi-Fi 6 technology powers up to 100 devices
- Guest Wi-Fi
- Digital phone line
- Unlimited UK calls
- Option to add additional security features
- Speed Flex feature lets you boost your download speed for an extra monthly fee
- Dedicated account manager for easy switching
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If you are a freelancer or running a small enterprise, you might find a home broadband package fits your needs and saves you money. Once your business starts to grow, you’ll probably find it’s worth paying a bit more each month to benefit from a more reliable service with better tech support to keep your business connected. If you use your internet connection to receive orders, take payments, or communicate with your customers, an outage could be very damaging and costly for your business. Business broadband typically gives you more responsive support in case of problems, backup connectivity, and a faster and more stable connection. You can also choose a package which comes with a 4G or 5G backup so you can avoid service interruption if your fixed broadband fails.
Traditional analogue landlines are being phased out and will be switched off in 2025. Providers will now offer you a digital phoneline, where calls are made over the internet. But you can also choose broadband without a phone line for a lower-cost deal.
SoGEA – ‘Single Order Generic Ethernet Access’ (SoGEA) is a type of fibre broadband which doesn’t require a landline but still offers speed at a low cost.
Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) – a shared fibre optic connection between your business and the nearest green street cabinet, tends to be reliable and low cost, ideal for small businesses.
Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) – a fibre optic connection from your local telephone exchange to your nearest street cabinet. The copper wire network that this form of internet connectivity runs on is being phased out.
Leased line – the fastest, most reliable broadband connectivity you can get, suitable for large companies or those with high data needs. A leased line gives you a dedicated fibre broadband connection that’s not shared with anyone else.
The broadband speed most suitable for your business will depend on how many people will be using your network, and what they will be using it for. For one to 10 users needing daily internet access, streaming, video conferencing and server hosting, you might need 25-100Mbps. For 20-30 users and hosting of more than one server, you might need 100-250Mbps. For more than 30 users and data-intensive activities, 500-1000Mbps should keep you connected without interruption.