How Much Does a Leased Line Cost in the UK? 2026 Pricing Guide Quick Answer
A UK business leased line typically costs around £150 to £2,000+ per month in 2026. Your actual price depends heavily on your postcode, required speed, fibre availability, contract length, installation route, SLA and resilience requirements.
Leased line speed Typical monthly cost Best suited to
100Mbps
£150–£300+
SMEs, cloud software, VoIP and reliable uploads
500Mbps
£250–£600+
Growing businesses and heavier cloud usage
1Gbps
£300–£800+
Larger teams, hosted desktops and large file transfers
10Gbps
£1,000–£2,000+
Enterprise and high-capacity sites
However, postcode often matters more than the advertised speed. Two businesses ordering the same 1Gbps connection can receive very different prices because one site may already be close to suitable fibre infrastructure while the other requires additional construction.
Need dedicated business internet rather than ordinary broadband?
Our leased-line comparison is designed for UK businesses comparing:
100Mbps, 500Mbps, 1Gbps and 10Gbps leased lines
Dedicated Internet Access
BTnet, Virgin Media Business, TalkTalk Business, Zen and other providers
managed and wires-only circuits
installation and excess construction charges
SLAs and resilience options
Compare Leased Line Quotes for Your Postcode
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How do we work?
Transparent, impartial, and data‑driven reviews made by a team of expert humans, never AI generated – here’s exactly how Compare Your Business Costs helps you find the best deals from trusted UK providers: click here
Authored by: Ally Cox (Business Technology & B2B Services Specialist 10+ Years’ Experience)
Reviewed by: James Ward (Telecoms Specialist, 12+ Years Experience)
Last Updated: September 2026
Contents
Leased Line Cost Calculator UK Estimate your monthly leased line cost, annual spend, total contract value and whether dedicated internet is likely to be worth comparing for your business.
Required leased line speed
100Mbps 200Mbps 500Mbps 1Gbps 2Gbps 10Gbps Choose the committed speed your business needs.
Bearer size
100Mbps bearer 1Gbps bearer 10Gbps bearer A larger bearer can make future speed upgrades easier.
Business usage
Standard office use VoIP, video calls and cloud software Heavy uploads, backups or large files Critical operations / cannot trade offline Enterprise, data-heavy or multi-site Higher usage may increase recommended resilience and speed.
Location type
City / strong network availability Town / mixed availability Rural / limited availability Business park / complex install Leased line pricing is highly postcode-specific.
Contract length
12 months 24 months 36 months 60 months Longer contracts usually reduce the monthly price.
Resilience requirement
No extra resilience 4G/5G or broadband backup Diverse backup circuit Useful if downtime would stop trading.
SLA requirement
Standard business SLA Enhanced SLA / faster fix Critical SLA / maximum uptime focus Higher SLA expectations can affect provider choice.
Your estimated leased line cost
Estimated monthly cost
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Estimated cost per Mbps
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Difference vs broadband
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This calculator is an estimate only. Actual leased line costs vary by postcode, network availability, bearer size, contract length, installation, excess construction charges, SLA, resilience, provider and survey results.
Key Takeaways
Leased lines generally cost around £150–£2,000+ per month.
100Mbps circuits commonly start around £150–£300+ per month.
1Gbps circuits commonly cost around £300–£800+ per month.
Exact pricing is highly postcode-specific.
Installation and Excess Construction Charges can materially affect the total contract cost.
A leased line provides dedicated, symmetrical bandwidth rather than ordinary shared broadband.
The strongest reason to buy one is usually reliability and SLA rather than raw download speed.
Businesses that can tolerate broadband outages should compare FTTP before paying for dedicated connectivity.
Businesses that cannot trade without internet should compare resilience as well as the primary circuit.
How Much Does a Leased Line Cost? As a broad UK guide:
Speed Monthly price guide Typical use
100Mbps
£150-£300+
Smaller offices and dependable everyday business connectivity
500Mbps
£250-£600+
Growing teams, cloud workloads and frequent video
1Gbps
£300-£800+
Large offices and heavier data workloads
10Gbps
£1,000-£2,000+
Enterprise and specialist high-capacity requirements
These figures should be used for budgeting rather than supplier selection.
The final quote normally depends on:
exact business address
nearby network infrastructure
committed speed
bearer size
contract length
installation requirements
router management
SLA
resilience
Current UK Leased Line Price Examples Public provider pricing gives us useful reference points, although your site-specific quote may be very different.
Provider Current published example Important context
Virgin Media Business 100Mbps DIA packages from £185/month
Subject to service availability and contract terms
BTnet Quote-based
100% availability SLA and 5-hour target fix
TalkTalk Business Quote-based
Up to 10Gbps, 99.995% uptime and 4-hour maximum fix
Zen Internet Quote-based
99.9% uptime standard with 100% resilience option
Virgin Media Business currently states that its DIA packages start from £185 per month for 100Mbps upload and download, subject to service availability and terms.
BTnet currently advertises a 100% availability SLA and 5-hour target fix time.
TalkTalk Business currently advertises symmetrical connectivity up to 10Gbps, 99.995% uptime and a 4-hour maximum fix time.
Zen currently advertises 99.9% uptime as standard and a 100% resilience option.
For a detailed supplier comparison, see our UK leased line providers guide .
Why Do Leased Line Prices Vary So Much? Because a leased line is a site-specific network service rather than a standard broadband package.
Pricing factor Why it changes the quote
Postcode
Determines which networks are available near the premises
Fibre route
A longer or more difficult build can increase installation cost
Speed
Higher committed bandwidth generally costs more
Bearer
A larger bearer can support future upgrades
Contract
Longer commitments can change monthly and installation pricing
SLA
Service guarantees vary between providers
Router
Managed hardware/support can add to the monthly charge
Resilience
Backup circuits or diverse routing increase the total cost
Why Postcode Is So Important Leased-line pricing is heavily influenced by how easily a provider can reach your premises.
If suitable fibre already runs near or into the building, the provider may have a relatively straightforward installation.
If new infrastructure is required, the quote can change significantly.
This is why online national price lists can only ever be a guide.
Check Leased Line Quotes for Your Postcode
Monthly Rental vs Installation Cost There are two important cost areas:
Cost What it covers
Monthly rental
Dedicated circuit, bandwidth, support and service commitments
Installation
Survey, fibre build, engineering and connection work
Some contracts may include or subsidise normal installation costs.
However, additional construction discovered after survey can still alter the commercial picture.
What Are Excess Construction Charges? Excess Construction Charges (ECCs) are additional costs for physical network work required beyond the standard installation allowance.
these can include:
new ducts
blocked duct clearance
new fibre routes
roadworks
complex building entry
Rather than relying on generic ECC price estimates, ask:
what installation allowance is included
whether ECCs are capped
whether you can cancel if the survey produces excessive costs
See our leased line installation guide for the full survey, wayleave and ECC process.
Is a Leased Line Worth the Cost? The main question is not whether a leased line is faster than broadband – it’s whether the extra reliability and service guarantees are commercially valuable to your business.
Your situation Starting point
Email, web browsing and light cloud use
Compare business FTTP first
Regular VoIP and video calls
Business FTTP may still be sufficient; compare service quality
Large uploads and cloud backups
Leased line becomes more relevant
Hosted desktops or cloud-heavy operations
Compare dedicated connectivity
Internet outage stops sales/operations
Leased line + resilience worth comparing
High-volume multi-site organisation
Leased line, SD-WAN or managed WAN comparison
The £500 Question: What Would an Internet Outage Cost You? This is often a more useful way to assess a leased line than comparing Mbps.
Consider:
How many staff cannot work without internet?
Can customers still buy from you?
Will your phones still work?
Can you access cloud systems?
Can your EPOS or booking systems operate?
How much revenue does an hour offline put at risk?
If a serious connectivity outage would cost substantially more than the monthly difference between FTTP and a leased line, paying for stronger service guarantees can become commercially rational.
Do You Need a Leased Line Just for VoIP? Usually, no.
VoIP itself uses relatively little bandwidth. A business does not automatically need a leased line simply because it has a cloud phone system.
A leased line becomes relevant where:
calls are business-critical
many other cloud services share the same connection
you need stronger fault-response commitments
the existing broadband connection is unstable
an internet outage would have a significant commercial impact
See our VoIP bandwidth guide for voice-specific capacity planning.
What Leased Line Speed Do You Need?
Speed Good starting point for
100Mbps
Smaller businesses prioritising dedicated reliability
500Mbps
Growing cloud-heavy teams
1Gbps
Larger offices and high data usage
10Gbps+
Enterprise or specialist high-capacity use
The right capacity depends on applications, simultaneous usage, uploads, backups and future growth.
For detailed planning, see What Speed Leased Line Do I Need?
100Mbps vs 1Gbps Leased Line
100Mbps 1Gbps
Monthly cost
Lower
Higher
Dedicated bandwidth
Yes
Yes
Suitable for many SMEs
Yes
Often more than required
Large cloud backups/files
Can be limiting
Much better suited
Future growth
Depends on bearer
Greater headroom
A 100Mbps leased line can still be a substantial upgrade over ordinary broadband where reliability and upload performance matter more than headline download speed.
Leased Line vs Business Broadband
Business broadband Leased line
Typical monthly cost
Lower
£150–£2,000+
Bandwidth
Shared service
Dedicated
Upload/download
Often asymmetric
Symmetrical
Service commitment
Usually weaker
Stronger SLA
Installation
Usually faster
Can take weeks or months
Best for
Normal SME connectivity
Business-critical connectivity
Many SMEs should compare full-fibre business broadband before buying a leased line.
The decision changes when reliable connectivity directly protects revenue, productivity or customer service.
Leased Line vs FTTP FTTP can deliver very fast broadband at a much lower monthly cost than a dedicated circuit, and a leased line primarily adds:
dedicated bandwidth
symmetrical performance
stronger service commitments
business-focused fault response
If a good FTTP service meets your operational needs, a leased line may be unnecessary.
See our leased line vs fibre comparison .
Managed vs Wires-Only Leased Lines
Option Best for
Managed leased line
Businesses wanting provider-managed router and support
Wires-only
Businesses with an internal IT team or MSP
Managed security
Businesses wanting firewall/security integrated
Leased line + SD-WAN
Multi-site operations
Check exactly who manages the router, firewall and fault diagnosis before comparing price.
Which Leased Line Providers Should You Compare? Depending on your postcode and requirements, providers worth comparing can include:
BTnet
Virgin Media Business
TalkTalk Business
Zen Internet
Daisy
Colt
Vodafone Business
Spitfire
regional fibre specialists
Do not choose a provider from this list solely on brand.
Exact network availability near your premises can have a bigger effect on cost than which company has the most recognisable name.
See our UK leased line providers comparison .
What SLA Should You Look For? A leased-line SLA can cover:
availability
fault-fix targets
latency
packet loss
service credits
BTnet currently advertises a 100% availability SLA and 5-hour target fix time.
TalkTalk Business currently advertises 99.995% uptime and a 4-hour maximum fix.
Do not compare the headline percentages alone. Read the exclusions and service-credit terms.
How Long Does a Leased Line Take to Install? A leased-line installation commonly takes several weeks and more complex sites can take considerably longer.
Typical causes of delay include:
wayleaves
blocked ducts
new fibre construction
roadworks
landlord permissions
We cover this separately in our leased line installation guide .
What Should You Compare in a Leased Line Quote? Before requesting quotes, have the following information ready:
business postcode and full address
required speed
number of users
main cloud/internet applications
whether internet downtime stops trading
current broadband cost
current contract end date
managed-router requirement
resilience requirement
number of sites
Then compare:
monthly rental
installation
ECC terms
bearer size
SLA
fault-fix target
router management
resilience
contract length
annual price changes
Compare Leased Line Quotes for Your Business
Why Compare Leased Lines With Compare Your Business Costs? Our comparisons are researched and reviewed by the Compare Your Business Costs editorial team using provider information, pricing data and UK business buying criteria. See how Compare Your Business Costs works .
Our comparison service can help UK businesses compare:
100Mbps, 500Mbps, 1Gbps and 10Gbps circuits
Dedicated Internet Access
multiple UK leased-line providers
monthly costs
installation and ECCs
SLAs and resilience
managed or wires-only options
Our Verdict: Is a Leased Line Worth It? A leased line is most valuable when the cost of unreliable connectivity is greater than the premium you pay for dedicated internet.
For a small office doing light web browsing and email, good business FTTP may be the better-value option.
But, for a business where:
phones rely on the internet
staff work in cloud systems all day
uploads and backups are business-critical
customer transactions rely on connectivity
an outage stops the business trading
a leased line becomes much easier to justify.
The most important buying decision is therefore not simply:
“How many Mbps can I get?”
It is:
“What would slower or unavailable connectivity cost my business?”
If dedicated connectivity makes commercial sense, compare several providers for the same postcode and requirement before signing.
Compare Leased Line Prices for Your Postcode
Free quotes • No obligation • Compare UK leased-line providers
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a leased line cost in the UK?
A UK leased line generally costs around £150-£2,000+ per month, depending on postcode, speed, network availability, contract, installation and service requirements.
How much does a 100Mbps leased line cost?
A 100Mbps leased line commonly costs around £150-£300+ per month. Actual pricing depends heavily on location and installation.
How much does a 500Mbps leased line cost?
A 500Mbps circuit commonly costs around £250-£600+ per month, although postcode and provider network availability can change the price significantly.
How much does a 1Gbps leased line cost?
A 1Gbps leased line commonly costs around £300-£800+ per month. Some well-connected sites may receive lower quotes while complex installations can cost more.
Why are leased lines expensive?
Leased lines provide dedicated bandwidth, symmetrical upload/download performance and stronger service commitments than standard shared broadband. Installation may also require new fibre infrastructure.
Is a leased line worth it for a small business?
It can be if internet downtime or slow connectivity would materially affect the business. Smaller firms with light usage should compare business FTTP first.
Do I need a leased line for VoIP?
Not automatically. Many VoIP systems work well over stable FTTP. A leased line becomes more relevant where voice is business-critical or stronger fault-response commitments are required.
What is the difference between DIA and a leased line?
Dedicated Internet Access is a common term for dedicated business internet delivered over a leased-line style service.
Are leased lines symmetrical?
Yes, business leased lines are normally sold with the same committed upload and download speed.
What are Excess Construction Charges?
ECCs are additional installation charges where extra physical work is required, such as new ducts or fibre routing.
How long does a leased line take to install?
Installation commonly takes several weeks and can take longer where wayleaves, civil engineering or other third-party permissions are required.
What speed leased line do I need?
100Mbps may be enough for many SMEs prioritising reliability, while 500Mbps or 1Gbps is more relevant for heavier cloud, upload and data workloads.
Can I upgrade a leased line later?
Often, yes, provided the installed bearer supports the higher speed. Check upgrade terms before signing.
Which leased line provider is best?
The best provider depends heavily on your postcode, required speed, SLA and installation route. Compare several suppliers using the same specification.
How do I get the cheapest leased line?
Compare postcode-level quotes rather than advertised national prices, and check the complete cost including installation, ECCs, contract length, router and resilience.
Related Leased Line Guides Compare Leased Line Quotes
James Ward is the CEO & Founder of Compare Your Business Costs — a UK-verified comparison platform helping SMEs save money on business broadband, leased lines, phone systems, mobile telecoms, managed services and IT support. With over 10 years of experience in telecoms and technology procurement, James is a trusted UK business expert featured in national media and verified on Companies House.
