Internet Leased Line – Explanation, Definition, & Example

LAN, or local area network, is where you connect electronic devices such as telephones, desktops, servers, and access points. To connect devices within a LAN, usage of WAN (wide area network) is a must. A leased line is one of the common examples of a WAN connection.

Many of you may be wondering what is an internet leased line and what are its features. Remember that, when you require uninterrupted data usage, an internet-leased line network comes into play. This leased line can endow you with a good download and upload speed and high uptime. 

What is a leased line and what are its features?

A leased line network is a telecommunication set-up between two or multiple locations as per the agreed contract. At times, it is even called a private circuit designed to connect workspaces located at distant locations geographically. 

Some of the crucial features of a leased line connection are – 

• This system is used for connectivity between two or more websites. 

• This is an extremely dedicated network providing the internet connection just to you and for the smooth functioning of your business. 

• It comes with extremely dedicated bandwidth. 

• It is scalable and flexible in nature. When your organisation is expanding or getting restructured, this is one of the prudent options for connectivity because it is scalable. There are zero constraints regarding the enhanced number of devices or users. 

• Leased line provides topological benefits. There are distinct network pathways. It may be a spur or single connection where the end of A to the end of B is connected. There may be ring topology, too, wherein all nodes are connected to another line to create a backup. Thus, if one path fibre is removed or cut down or damaged, the other one will always ensure to keep the work going. Hence, the system of internet leased lines endows uninterrupted connectivity. 

• As a leased line customer, you must sign up for an SLA (service level agreement) with the service provider to measure its performance and avail quick help whenever you face any issue with your leased line connection. 

Internet leased line – how it functions?

Internet leased lines are known as dedicated lines for their point-to-point and fixed bandwidth connection. This is a reserved and dedicated leased connection between two points. This line transfers data in both points using a complete duplex transmission. However, note that an internet leased line is not a long line of cable connection between two or more locations, as you may perceive. This line uses a unique switching device that serves as a signal booster to make the point-to-point connection and reach distinct remote destinations quickly. 

An internet leased line uses the technique or technology as used by fibre optic broadband. The line works by sending light pulses down the circuit. Whenever you send data down the circuit, the equipment at the end receives the light pulses, which are represented in binary 1s and 0s in the digital data format. Equipment towards one end turns the lights off or on to show 0s and 1s, and the equipment towards the other end identifies this, records the same and stores the same back in the form of 0s and 1s. Note that, this data traverses at light speed. 

What are the internet leased line options for organisations or businesses present in the market today?

Generally, the internet leased line falls in the listed categories. 

Complete fibre, also called ethernet access direct or fibre ethernet

It is the daddy of the internet network. This is a direct and superfast ethernet network with 100 per cent fibre optic cables connecting the internet service provider to business premises straightaway to deliver speeds of as high as 1 Gbps. This is one of the most reliable, fastest, and most costly internet connections. 

Ethernet in the first mile (also known as EFM or ethernet broadband)

This is a connection that uses a traditional copper network for delivering connections to businesses. As of now, it is one of the ideal network connections for organisations and businesses that have no local fibre cabinet. It basically uses aggregated copper pairs to ensure a resilient service so if one set of copper stops functioning,  the other takes charge of it. This infers while the speed may be way lower than a complete fibre connection, this service is completely symmetrical and available with resilience assurance and robust service level agreements or SLAs. This is slightly cheaper, i.e., a mid-priced option available in the market. 

Ethernet over the FTTC or EoFTTC

For businesses with access to a local fibre-based cabinet, EoFTTC is the same as EFM; however, this is even cheaper. This is a mix of copper and fibre with a slight drop off in speed owing to the presence of distance between an organisation or business and local cabinet. However, many of the service providers may offer this as a symmetric network. 

Do you need an internet leased line?

Fundamentally, many organisations or businesses might be enticed to internet leased lines solely because of the speed that it has to offer you. Holding a superfast internet in the current age where the need for cloud services is increasing makes good sense. However, ultimately speed is just one of the crucial factors that make a dedicated connection an important piece of asset or infrastructure for businesses. Holding a symmetrical connection makes the use of VoIP (voice over internet protocol) for business communication and telephony highly reliable. The service level agreements that come with fixed connection even mean that any kind of fault is often fixed as soon as possible and not in days or more. 

So, you see, reading through the service level agreement of the internet service provider is a must before zeroing in on any service provider for the leased line connection. For instance, suppose your business is Mumbai based, then you must ensure to search online for the best internet service provider in Mumbai, go through the service level agreement of this provider and then make an informed decision. Do not blindly zero on any internet service provider, as this would make you incur a major loss.

Also read: New Ethernet PHYs Enable Multidrop Bus Architecture, Enhancing Industrial Networks’ Scalability and Functionality