What difference does your internet connection technology really make? Well, for a start, a faster fibre connection lets more of your team get online at the same time, without slowing operations to a crawl.

Slower copper connections, on the other hand, limit your team’s freedom to make the most of the latest digital tools and services. Fibre connections let you adopt cutting edge technology, like video conferencing and cloud services.

Fibre can also drive smooth e-commerce and cashless payments. Copper connections can lead to frozen video calls, files downloading at a snail’s pace and underwhelming experiences for your customers.

With a Fibre connection, your business is all set for whatever the future holds, including the ISDN switch off in 2025 and the transition to all-IP (internet based) telephony. Copper connections leave you stuck in the slow lane. Finally, fibre is more reliable than copper, which means fibre is up and running more of the time. Too often, downtime from copper connections leaves your employees twiddling their thumbs and waiting impatiently for the internet to come back online.

What connectivity is available?

So, it’s no wonder more and more businesses are upgrading to faster, more reliable connectivity. At the moment, there are three main broadband technologies available to businesses.

ADSL

ADSL - or Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line - is copper internet. At TalkTalk Business, we call it . It uses copper telephone wires to transfer data from the internet all the way to your business premises. It offers maximum download speeds of up to around 20Mbps, though the actual speed you get is likely to be less. The copper network is aging and expensive to maintain, and copper is also vulnerable to interference from nearby machinery and even inclement weather.

FTTC

Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) uses fibre optic cables to transfer data from the internet to the street cabinet nearest your premises. Data then hops onto the copper telephone network for the remainder of the journey. Our FTTC product is called Business Fibre and offers maximum download speeds of up to around 80Mbps. FTTC is now available to well over 95% of the country, making it the connectivity of choice for an increasing number of small businesses.

FTTP

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) is also known as full fibre, and it pushes data along fibre optic cables all the way from the internet to your building. Our Business Full Fibre connectivity is lightning-quick, with top speeds of anywhere between 80Mbps and 900Mbps (with faster speeds to come). But FTTP is only available to around 20% of the UK at the moment, and its higher price might make it a step too far for many small businesses with more basic internet needs. For small businesses with standard requirements, the sweet spot here is FTTC. If you’re currently on an ADSL connection, you’ll get huge benefit from a simple and cost-effective upgrade to superfast fibre.

An easy upgrade

For most businesses, upgrading to FTTC is a quick and straightforward process. Because data travels the last bit of the journey to your premises on copper telephone wires, there’s often no engineering work required to take your connectivity to the next level. It’s normally just a case of turning off your old service and switching on your new one. It’s also extremely affordable. Internet Service Providers (ISPs), including TalkTalk Business, are keen to get customers off the creaking ADSL network and onto fibre, because it’s easier and cheaper to maintain.

For that reason, prices have plummeted over the last few years, making FTTC barely more expensive than standard ADSL broadband. In fact, right now you can get our Simply Business Fibre connectivity for just £23.95 per month* (ex VAT) on our 24-month contracts (T&Cs apply, see below). Simply Business Fibre includes totally unlimited downloads at superfast speeds of up to 76Mbps, our best business-grade Wi-Fi Hub 2 (£9.95 P&P) and a free dynamic or static IP. We don’t charge any connection fee on 24-month contracts. And at TalkTalk Business, we’re proud to offer our business customers exceptional support to ensure they get the most out of their connectivity. Our UK-based support team is available 24/7 and 365 days a year, and we’re the only Tier-1 provider rated ‘Excellent’ by customers on Trustpilot.

Your future is fibre

With all this in mind, the question is less “why switch to superfast fibre?” and more “why not?” The benefits of a simple upgrade are now impossible to ignore. Whether you’re looking to grow your operations, adopt new digital services or prepare for the ISDN switch off, FTTC fibre is the connectivity that many small businesses need. If you’re thinking about implementing remote or semi-remote working for the long term, fast and reliable connectivity is even more important.

And don’t forget that customers are getting more demanding too. They expect to be able to communicate with you via voice, video, chat and email. If they don’t get smooth and efficient e-commerce and cashless payments, they might just look elsewhere. ADSL copper broadband has served the nation well since the end of the last century, but now that we’re all demanding more from the internet, it’s time to move on. Upgrading to superfast Business Fibre from TalkTalk Business will ensure your demands - and those of your customers - are always met. Want to discover more about Business Fibre? Click here.

Terms and Conditions* Price relates to Simply Fibre Business Broadband for £23.95 per month for duration of 24-month term contract. After minimum term price reverts to out of contract rate (£28.95 per month). Available to new and upgrading customers only. All prices exclude VAT. Please see our terms and conditions here for full details including terms of use and detailed product price lists.