What We Need Next: Business-Grade Fixed Broadband

Fixed line broadband, the Internet service delivered via a wired connection, is absolutely vital for businesses due to the connectivity quality and productivity benefits it provides.

In the always-on, digital economy that we inhabit, businesses from a huge variety of industries – be it retail, manufacturing or any other sector – must be able to reliably communicate with their customers, and online connectivity is a major factor in this. For businesses of all sizes, ensuring that your fixed line broadband is up to standard is crucial.

It is important for organisations to remember that simply having fixed line broadband is not enough to gain a competitive edge. However, having a reliable connection could see you get ahead of your rivals. In addition, speed is hugely important if businesses are to remain relevant and dynamic. EE Business Broadband & Landline offers speeds of up to 76Mbps, meaning that if your business needs to stream video, access web-based applications or process sales, it can do so with maximum efficiency. Being able to work at speed over a business grade fixed line broadband connection enables employees to remain productive at all times.

The productivity benefits offered by fixed line broadband are also likely to save businesses financially – something that is crucial when budgets and margins are already tight. A report carried out by the Centre for Economics and Business Research found that slow broadband speeds are costing London businesses as much as £37 million a year. The rest of the country is likely to be facing a similar story, with poor-quality broadband leaving businesses, employees and customers frustrated. To ensure your company receives the broadband speed that it needs, EE Business Broadband & Landline offers Business Data Priority, which means that even during the network’s busiest periods, your organisation won’t face a drop in speeds.

Reliable connections are also vital if businesses are to deliver the services that their customers expect. With unreliable connections, productivity takes a massive hit, as modern businesses rely on online processes to function. Independent retailers, for example, may be unable to complete transactions, while office-based organisations may be left completely in the dark, cut-off from emails and business applications. Not only could this cause businesses to lose revenue directly, the reputational damage could see customers jump ship to a competitor. EE Business Broadband & Landline makes perfect sense for businesses of all sizes because of the reliability it offers. With business grade broadband, EE promises 99.99 per cent reliability, meaning employees can carry out their work without worrying about when the next disruption is going to occur.

Businesses should also note that fixed line broadband provides greater reliability than alternative options. According to a study by the Institute of Directors into business Internet usage, companies are nearly twice as likely to be satisfied with the reliability of their Internet service when using fixed line broadband compared to mobile broadband. Furthermore, with 24/7 support offered alongside EE’s broadband service, businesses can have peace of mind that expert assistance is on hand in the unlikely event of a technical issue.

A static IP address, which remains fixed unlike the dynamic IP address offered by most home broadband providers, can also provide significant benefits to businesses. Because it does not change even if you disconnect from the network, a static IP address makes it much easier for external parties to find and connect to it. This means that organisations can operate their own servers and easily connect to them using their static IP address – particularly important if businesses are running their own website. For businesses that are looking for additional features to a standard fixed line package, EE Business Broadband & Landline comes with an optional static IP address free of charge.

Moreover, a static IP address is also beneficial for organisations that want to set up virtual private networks (VPNs) to access work files remotely. If you had to find out what your IP address had changed to every time you joined the network, remote working would become much less productive. Other applications, like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also work much more reliably with a static IP. By enabling them to run their own server or website and access work devices remotely, businesses have the freedom to achieve a better work-life balance.

Alongside reliability and productivity benefits, EE Business Broadband & Landline also offers great flexibility. Businesses can choose between Standard, Fibre and Fibre Plus packages depending on the download speeds that suit them best. Those in rural areas also have the option of an off-net broadband service. Because every organisation will have its own requirements, EE lets companies opt for additional care level upgrades and fixed service add-ons. It’s also extremely easy to get connected, with Fibre customers receiving a Bright Box 2 router – winner of Which’s “Best Buy Award” 2014 – which can be installed without the help of an engineer.

The importance of fixed line connectivity to businesses cannot be overstated and organisations that are looking to become more reliable and productive should note that EE also offers a fixed landline service, alongside its broadband packages. EE fixed landline promises reliable connectivity and the option of various add-ons, including advanced telephony features and international calls. Taking both fixed landline and broadband packages together, therefore, makes great business sense for many organisations.

With the vast array of communication options available and the development of mobile broadband technology, businesses may be questioning whether fixed line broadband is still relevant. However, in terms of reliability and speed, fixed line options remain unchallenged.

In the competitive world of modern business, the productivity benefits of using the fast and robust network offered by EE Business Broadband & Landline could be the difference between business success and failure.

Image source: Shutterstock/asharkyu

Author: ITPP in association with EE
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Published under license from ITProPortal.com