Should I bundle my business phone line with broadband?
Many business broadband deals come with a landline service from the same provider too. So it would make sense to bundle your phone line with your business broadband, both to save costs and to get a more seamless customer experience.
What are the benefits of business broadband?
Here at Your Coop, we provide climate positive business solutions, giving back to the environment with every broadband connection. Business broadband packages are generally much faster than residential broadband packages, in terms of download and upload speeds. Broadband providers will prioritise businesses speeds over residential users, which also results in a more reliable connection. Our Business Broadband connections will future proof your business beyond
BT’s Switch off.
Can I get a static IP with Business Broadband?
Every Business Broadband connection that we provide comes with one static IP Address. Using a static IP address will make VOIP services much more reliable and the call quality will also be greatly improved. Reliable high quality VOIP services save your business money and enhance your reputation as someone your customers can do business with easily.
Do small businesses need business broadband?
Yes, all businesses will require business grade broadband. As we move away from old copper technology, and into the modern fibre connections. All businesses will need to upgrade their existing copper ADSL line to a fibre connection (SoGEA or FTTP). You'll also reap the benefits of having dedicated technical support at hand if you face connection issues, and an advanced router to power your Wi-Fi connection.
What is the difference between business broadband and home broadband?
Residential internet often has restricted upload speeds and comes with only best-effort service agreements, while business internet demands faster upload speeds to perform operations. In addition, ISPs provide guaranteed service and uptimes for business internet.
Can I claim business broadband as a business expense?
In the UK, you can claim broadband expenses as a business expense if you use it for business purposes. However, it's important to note that you can only claim the portion of the broadband expense that is directly related to your business use.
What types of business internet are available?
We offer two forms of business internet, Ultrafast fibre (FTTP) and SoGEA (Single Order Generic Ethernet Access).
Fibre to the premise (FTTP), or full fibre, is a newer form of fibre broadband. The key difference between FTTP and FTTC is that, with FTTP, a fibreoptic cable goes directly from your broadband to provider your premise, bypassing the cabinet along the way. Unlike FTTC, copper wire infrastructure plays no part. In terms of benefits, the biggest differentiator is speed.
The drawback of FTTP is that, right now, it’s not available everywhere. That will soon change as the full fibre rollout continues, but businesses may want to explore other options if they want to upgrade immediately.
SoGEA is a type of broadband service that’s based on the Generic Ethernet Access (GEA) standard. It works by providing connectivity over a single connection that doesn’t require a phoneline, so isn’t reliant on retiring technology. SoGEA is widely available and can deliver high-speed internet connections of up to 80 Mbps. It’s a given that all businesses today need a reliable, robust internet connection. However, if your business doesn’t need the same level of data transfer FTTP can enable, SoGEA is a worthy alternative.
What is Fibre to the cabinet (FTTC)
Fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) is a fibre optic service which uses fibre cables up to the nearby cabinet on your street, then using only copper cables from there to your premises. FTTC enables connectivity via fibreoptic cables from the telephone exchange to the green, roadside cabinet and then through copper cable to the relevant business, the service will also be impacted by the switch off.
If you currently have FTTC, there’s no need to worry. Your broadband won’t be immediately affected by the switch off, as the copper lines that run from your premise will be kept live until you can access the new full fibre service, even after the switch off date. That said, it is beneficial to start thinking of upgraded, future-proofed alternatives.
What is Fibre to the premises (FTTP)
FTTP is a fibreoptic cable goes directly from your broadband to provider your premise, bypassing the cabinet along the way. This form of broadband is desirable for high-speed connections and for the long-term, post the
BT switch off.
What is Gigabit internet?
Gigabit internet delivers download speeds of up to 1Gbps, the equivalent of 1,000Mbps and is usually only available in areas with Full Fibre Connections (FTTP). Gigabit Internet offers you faster download speeds, often making your standard broadband 10 times faster. A Gigabit connection is great if your business relies on downloading large graphic files, CAD drawings, handling several Zoom or Teams meetings and calls.
How can I get a good wireless signal all over my office?
You can boost your signal in your office by adding additional equipment such as external antennas or Wi-Fi extenders. We offer a service called Wi-Fi Plus, powered by Wi-Fi 6 – the next gen Wi-Fi, it ensures the signal provided is more efficient whilst speeding up the connection the process.
What features and add-ons are available with Business Broadband plans?
All our broadband packages are offered as 24-month contract, come with a standard router – FOC, Static IP address and come standard broadband care package. All our broadband packages are offered as 24-month contract, come with a standard router – FOC, Static IP address and come standard broadband care package.
Is unlimited data an option with Business Broadband?
Unlimited data in broadband simply means that there is no usage cap, allowing you to upload and download as much data without needed to worry about exceeding the limit agreed limit. However, speeds of uploads and downloads are sometimes restricted during peak times of the day, especially if you’re business is a heavy internet user. If you are experiencing sluggish internet speeds during the day, our team can help you upgrade your connection to the best service available, ensuring you remain connected to your customers.
How does business broadband ensure reliability and uptime for my operations?
Most business-grade broadband packages offer uptime guarantees of more than 99%. As a result, bandwidth issues are less likely during peak hours. Additionally, a business broadband connection has a static IP address, which is essential for hosting servers, websites, and business-related devices.
Can I upgrade or downgrade my business broadband plan as per my changing needs?
You will almost certainly be able to upgrade your business broadband plan; either increasing the throughput or taking on a new improved service. We advise against downgrading your broadband plan as this often incurs early termination fees as well the cost of a new contract.
Is there any service-level agreement (SLA) offered with business broadband plans?
We have a Broadband care level to meet your business needs. Standard Care (included with all new connections), enhanced and critical care. When you choose one of our critical care packages we aim to respond to your query within one hour and fix the issue within eight hours.
What security measures are in place to protect sensitive business data?
Does business broadband offer dedicated customer support for businesses?
Your Co-op Business Solutions will provide a fault repair service. Fault repair for lines is described in the Business Line Rental price list. We will provide advice by telephone including, where appropriate, tests and checks to be carried out and, where possible, carry out diagnostic checks from our premises. If this does not diagnose or clear the fault, we will arrange for an engineer to visit the customer premises.
Are there any special discounts or promotions available for long-term contracts?
All our contract are 24 months as standard. However, 36 months contracts are available with discounts applied accordingly.
Can I use my existing equipment with a business broadband connection?
This depends, if your existing equipment is compatible with a full fibre broadband service then yes it can be used with Business Broadband. If your existing equipment isn’t compatible, you’ll have to upgrade though all is not lost as the next generation tools can future-proof your business and boost productivity and collaboration.
What speed options are available, and how do they impact my business operations?
Every business today is an online business. However, every business is different. The average business requires at least 25 Mbps of download speed and 3 Mbps of upload speed to conduct everyday tasks like emailing, exchanging files, using cloud-based software and videoconferencing.
However, business internet speed requirements vary significantly between companies, and your speed needs will likely increase as your enterprise grows and you adopt more data-intensive processes. Our team of experts are on hand to discuss your business needs and advise on the best package suitable for your business needs.
