Broadband terminology can still feel like alphabet soup. FTTP, SoGEA, leased lines… even if you’ve heard the terms, it’s not always clear what they actually mean for your business.

With the UK moving away from copper-based services, understanding modern connectivity options is more important than ever. Here’s a plain-English breakdown of the broadband types UK businesses are choosing today.

 

SoGEA – Single Order Generic Ethernet Access

 

SoGEA is the modern replacement for traditional phone-line-based broadband services.

Unlike older connections, SoGEA does not require a traditional PSTN phone line, making it a future-ready option as the UK completes the copper voice switch-off.

• Download speeds: Up to ~80 Mbps

• Upload speeds: Up to ~20 Mbps

• No analogue phone line required

SoGEA is well suited to:

• Small offices

• Businesses moving to VoIP or Teams Phone

• Companies transitioning away from legacy phone systems

While more reliable than older broadband technologies, SoGEA still relies on copper for the final connection, meaning performance can vary and upload speeds can quickly become a bottleneck for cloud-heavy workloads.

 

FTTC – Fibre to the Cabinet

 

FTTC uses fibre optic cabling from the exchange to the street cabinet, with copper cabling for the final stretch into your premises.

• Download speeds: Up to ~80 Mbps

• Upload speeds: Up to ~20 Mbps

• Shared infrastructure, so speeds may fluctuate during busy periods

FTTC and SoGEA are closely related, the key difference being that SoGEA removes the need for a phone line, whereas FTTC historically depended on one.

FTTC remains common across UK SMEs but is increasingly seen as a short-term solution, particularly for growing or cloud-first businesses.

 

FTTP – Fibre to the Premises

 

FTTP (also known as full fibre) runs fibre optic cabling directly into your building, with no copper involved at any stage.

• Symmetrical speeds (equal upload and download)

• Greater stability and lower latency

• Easily scalable as your business grows

FTTP is ideal for businesses that:

• Rely on Microsoft 365 and cloud services

• Use VoIP or Teams Phone

• Share large files

• Support remote or hybrid working

For many UK businesses, FTTP is quickly becoming the default choice rather than a premium upgrade.

 

Leased Lines – Dedicated Business Connectivity

 

A leased line is a fully dedicated fibre connection, reserved solely for your business.

• Guaranteed symmetrical speeds (from 100 Mbps up to multi-gigabit)

• Uncontended connection

• Strict service level agreements (SLAs)

Leased lines are best suited to:

• Growing teams

• Multi-site businesses

• Cloud-first environments

• Organisations where downtime directly impacts revenue

They offer the highest level of reliability and performance, with pricing becoming increasingly competitive as fibre infrastructure expands across the UK.

 

Choosing the Right Broadband for Your Business

 

The fastest advertised speed doesn’t always mean the best connection for your business. What really matters is:

• Stability and uptime

• Upload performance

• How many users and devices you support

• Your plans for growth over the next few years

With copper services being phased out, choosing a future-proof connection now can prevent disruption and costly migrations later.

That’s why we always recommend speaking with an independent connectivity specialist — to make sure your connection fits how your business actually works, not just what’s easiest to install.