What is a Leased Line?
A leased line is a dedicated, symmetric telecommunication circuit that is leased by a business or organization from a telecommunications service provider. Simply put, it is a permanently established connection between two locations that is rented for exclusive use. Unlike traditional telephone lines that can be used by multiple users at once and are only available on an as-needed basis, a leased line offers a guaranteed bandwidth, reliability and performance that is essential for businesses that require a constant and uninterrupted network connection.
A leased line is usually used to connect two distant locations or to connect a business to the internet, cloud services, or a corporate network. It is also used to connect two data centers or to transmit large amounts of data between two offices. A leased line is also suitable for businesses that require a high-speed, low-latency connection for transferring large volumes of data or for continuous VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) communication.
Leased lines come in various speeds, from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps, depending on the requirements of the organization. The speed of the leased line affects the bandwidth available to transfer data, and each leased line has a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that guarantees a minimum level of uptime, support, and response times from the provider.
As leased lines provide dedicated internet connectivity, they offer greater security, reliability, and privacy than regular broadband connections. With leased lines, businesses can also prioritize their traffic and have more control over their data transmission. Unlike broadband connections that experience contention issues (slower speeds due to multiple users occupying the same line), leased lines ensure that businesses have constant and guaranteed speeds.
Another benefit of leased lines is that they offer symmetrical connectivity. This means that the upload and download speeds are the same, unlike standard broadband services where the upload speed can be significantly slower than the download speed. Symmetrical connectivity enables businesses to send large files or stream video content without any lag or buffering issues.
In conclusion, a leased line is an essential connectivity solution for businesses that require high-speed, reliable, and secure internet connectivity. With the ever-increasing demand for faster and more reliable connectivity, leased lines offer a guaranteed bandwidth, symmetrical upload/download speeds, and low latency, making them the ideal solution for businesses that need to transfer large amounts of data or for continuous VoIP communication.