Whether you are looking for a high-speed and unshared internet connection for your new office or resilient backup internet, wireless leased lines are a great option.
This article will delve into the details of wireless leased lines, covering what they are, their costs, and how they can benefit your business in the UK. Let’s get started.
What is a wireless leased line?
A wireless leased line is a dedicated network connection that uses radio or microwave technology instead of physical wires. This connection offers a flexible and reliable alternative to traditional fibre-optic leased lines.
It is either installed as a point-to-point or point-to-multipoint scheme. In both schemes, a receiver dish is installed on the provider’s and business’s premises to be linked by the signals. The provider’s dish transmits the frequencies to the receiver directly, ensuring consistent connection quality.
Similar to the fibre leased line, it provides symmetrical bandwidth and is typically used for business-critical applications that need high internet speed and low latency like cloud computing and online gaming.
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Requirements for setting up a wireless leased line
Setting up a wireless leased line connection for a business in the UK involves some key requirements:
- Contacting the provider: Find and choose a reputable leased line provider in your area and request a quote.
- Site survey: The provider will give you the initial quote but their team will conduct a site survey to assess the feasibility and determine the best location for the equipment. This includes evaluating line-of-sight (LOS) conditions, potential obstructions and the degree of construction needed. Keep in view that a wireless connection cannot be established if a clear LOS is not found.
- Approvals: You might have to obtain necessary approvals from local authorities especially for the installation of antennas on your roof. Many providers, however, would take this responsibility as well.
After these are done, the equipment will be installed, checked and troubleshooted and you can start using your dedicated internet.
Advantages of a wireless leased line for your business
When compared with fibre leased lines, wireless leased lines provide various benefits.
- Short installation time: Unlike fibre installations, which often involve extensive groundwork, digging and permits, wireless leased lines can be set up as quickly as 14 days (wired leased lines might take 45-85 days normally). If you are in the LOS, the only installation needed will be the setup of antennas.
- Low installation cost: It offers a significant cost advantage when it comes to installation. Wired lines require groundwork and extensive trenching while wireless lines simply need antennas to set up. For example, where laying wired leased lines will cost you £10,000, setting up the infrastructure for wireless lines will cost you £2000 only.
- Resilience to weather conditions: Unlike many other radio signal connections, professionally-fitted wireless lines maintain a stable connection even in adverse weather. This is because they are installed by experienced professionals who even fit a backup connection that works on a different technology i.e. microwave.
- Provides unshared internet connection: Wireless dedicated lines provide unshared internet for your team at speeds up to 2Gbps. This also comes with service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee an uptime of at least 99.9%. As a whole, all your internet-intensive tasks can be met by the line.
- Ease of deployment in rural areas: Fibre installations in remote locations incur a lot of installation charges (the more the distance, the more expensive it is). In contrast, wireless leased lines bypass these costs by using radio/microwave signals to establish a connection. Provided the rural area is in LOS, a high-speed internet connection can be established by installing antennas.
Disadvantages of wireless leased lines
They come with some cons, however.
- Requirement of LOS: The biggest disadvantage of wireless leased lines is that they need an LOS. In some cases, a few business sites close to the premises of the provider might not have a clear LOS which will deprive them of this option.
- Low capacity: The bandwidth provided by wireless leased lines is less than fibre optic lines. While they provide lightning speeds of 10 Gbps, the maximum typical speed offered by wireless lines is 2Gbps (at the time of writing).
- Installation cost ramp up if you’re not in the LOS: If there’s no LOS in your area, you will have to purchase expensive technology to get it which can increase the installation costs considerably. You can also add more antennas to improve the connectivity but it will increase the price as well. Moreover, you might also require community approvals which will also lengthen the setup process.
Wireless leased line costs
You can get a 100Mb leased line for anywhere between £220 – £300/month in the UK. The faster you want your internet to be, the more expensive it will become. But why is there a difference in the price? Well, it depends on factors like the provider you choose, your location and the SLA you get.
E.g. if you choose a provider that offers, 99.99% uptime rather than 99.9%, the monthly cost of the package will be more.
Also, keep in mind that this is just the general monthly range of wireless leased lines in the UK. Installation costs are not included. You can get a quick quote for the leased lines through Compared Business.
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Yes, wireless leased lines can effectively serve as a backup to a fibre leased line because they provide an alternative route for internet connectivity, ensuring the operations continue to run in case of fibre line failures. The other reason for their suitability is that they provide the same nature of the internet – uncontented and high-speed.
Yes, they may be affected by weather adversity such as thunderstorms and rain but the improvement in technology and professional installation has made modern wireless leased lines quite resilient. Your business can depend on them for consistent internet access.
If your business is in the line of sight (LOS) and you want an uncontended, high-speed internet connection at an affordable rate, a wireless leased line could well be a good option for you. Its installation cost is far less than a wired leased line and it provides almost the same guaranteed uptime.
