The Quick Answer
Most small businesses (under 20 staff) need at least 50–100Mbps of dedicated, reliable bandwidth. Larger businesses, those running VoIP, CCTV or cloud-heavy applications, or those with multiple simultaneous users, need 100Mbps to 1Gbps — ideally on a leased line with a symmetric SLA.
How Much Bandwidth Does Each Application Use?
To work out what you need, add up the bandwidth used by all your applications running simultaneously:
Speed Recommendations by Business Type
Small office (1–10 staff)
- Minimum: 50Mbps FTTP (full fibre)
- Recommended: 100–150Mbps FTTP
- Ideal: 200Mbps FTTP with 4G failover
Medium office (10–50 staff)
- Minimum: 150Mbps FTTP
- Recommended: 300–500Mbps FTTP
- Ideal: 100–500Mbps leased line (dedicated, uncontended)
Warehouse or manufacturing site
- IoT sensors + VoIP + CCTV: minimum 100Mbps
- Heavy ERP / cloud use: 200–500Mbps leased line
- Multiple sites: SD-WAN over multiple leased lines
Retail or hospitality (with guest WiFi)
- Staff systems: 50–100Mbps
- Guest WiFi: add 20–50Mbps per 50 guests
- EPOS + CCTV + VoIP: minimum 150Mbps total
Healthcare (GP, dental, pharmacy)
- NHS Spine connectivity requires a stable, low-latency connection
- Minimum: 100Mbps FTTP with SLA
- Recommended: Leased line for guaranteed uptime
Upload Speed: The Most Overlooked Factor
Standard FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) broadband typically gives you fast download but slow upload — sometimes as low as 10–20Mbps upload on a 80Mbps package. For businesses that:
- Make VoIP calls (upload is as important as download)
- Upload files to cloud storage, Dropbox or SharePoint
- Hold regular video calls
- Back up servers to the cloud
...slow upload speeds are the real bottleneck. Full fibre (FTTP) and leased lines both offer much better upload speeds. Leased lines give symmetric speeds — same upload as download — which is the gold standard for business use.
Contended vs Uncontended: Why It Matters
Standard business broadband is contended — meaning multiple businesses share the same physical connection. At peak times (9–11am, lunchtime), speeds can drop significantly. A leased line is uncontended — the bandwidth is yours alone, 24 hours a day.
For most offices, contended FTTP is fine. For businesses where connectivity is business-critical — law firms, medical practices, financial services, logistics operations — uncontended leased line is the right choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What broadband speed do I need for VoIP?
Each VoIP call uses approximately 100kbps. A 10Mbps connection can handle 100 simultaneous calls. However, you need to account for all other internet usage happening at the same time — web browsing, cloud apps and video calls. For a 10-person office, 50–100Mbps is a comfortable minimum with VoIP included.
Is full fibre (FTTP) available everywhere?
Full fibre broadband (FTTP) is available to approximately 65% of UK premises in 2026 and expanding rapidly. If FTTP is not yet available at your premises, we can provide a leased line, 4G/5G broadband or Starlink satellite as alternatives.
What is the difference between upload and download speed?
Download speed is how fast data arrives at your premises — web pages, emails, video streams. Upload speed is how fast data leaves your premises — VoIP calls, video calls, file uploads to cloud storage. Most standard broadband packages prioritise download. For businesses, upload matters just as much, especially for VoIP and video.
How do I check what broadband speed I actually have?
You can run a speed test at speedtest.net or fast.com. Run it during working hours (9–11am) for a realistic picture. If your actual speeds are significantly below the headline speed, contact us — we can audit your connection and recommend upgrades.
What does symmetric internet mean?
Symmetric internet means your upload speed is the same as your download speed. For example, a 500Mbps symmetric leased line gives you 500Mbps both ways. This is important for businesses that upload large files, run VoIP calls or use video conferencing heavily.
Not Sure What Speed You Need?
Tell us your postcode and how many staff you have. We'll run a free connectivity audit and recommend the right solution.