Our Head of Networks at Wanstor
The UK’s ADSL switch-off is approaching. While the final cut-off date is January, businesses that leave migration plans too late may find new services cannot be delivered before the deadline.
ADSL once provided a reliable way for businesses to connect to the internet, but the way organisations use technology has changed significantly. With cloud applications, Microsoft 365, VoIP telephony and AI-powered tools now central to daily operations, many businesses are questioning whether ADSL broadband is still fit for purpose. If you’re considering an ADSL replacement or evaluating FTTP and business broadband options, these are five key questions worth asking.
1. Is our connectivity helping employees be productive?
Speed is obviously important, but it isn’t the only thing that matters.
If your users are regularly experiencing poor Teams calls, slow access to cloud applications or inconsistent performance when uploading and downloading files, connectivity starts to have a very real impact on productivity.
It is also worth looking at upload speed, which is something that can easily get overlooked. Older technologies such as ADSL were designed at a time when businesses consumed far more information than they uploaded.
Modern businesses work very differently.
We are constantly synchronising data to the cloud, using video conferencing, backing up devices, sharing large files and running applications hosted outside of the office.
Your connectivity needs to reflect that.
2. What would happen if the connection failed tomorrow?
This is probably the question I think businesses should ask themselves more often.
If your main internet connection went down tomorrow morning, what would actually stop working?
For many organisations the answer is quite a lot.
Microsoft 365, Teams, VoIP phones, cloud-based line-of-business applications, payment systems and even access to security services can all rely on connectivity. For many organisations, internet connectivity is now a critical business service rather than a utility.
Yet we still regularly see businesses with a single internet connection and no meaningful resilience.
Resilience doesn’t necessarily need to mean buying two expensive leased lines. Depending on the site, it could be a second FTTP connection, connectivity from a different carrier, 4G/5G failover or SD-WAN automatically moving traffic between available circuits.
The important thing is understanding the impact of an outage and building the level of resilience that is appropriate for the business.
3. Is ADSL supporting our cloud strategy?
Probably not particularly well; modern cloud-first organisations rely on fast, reliable business internet connectivity to access services such as Microsoft 365, Azure, Salesforce and other SaaS platforms.
ADSL was built for a very different way of working.
Over the last few years, businesses have moved huge amounts of their infrastructure away from their offices and into services such as Microsoft 365, Azure and other SaaS platforms.
The result is that the internet connection has effectively become the route into your corporate infrastructure. For many organisations, the network is now the primary gateway to cloud services and business applications.
If your business has invested heavily in cloud services but the connection into those services is still based on ageing connectivity, there is an obvious mismatch.
Moving to FTTP, Ethernet or another modern connectivity service isn’t just about making the internet faster. It is about making sure the underlying network is capable of supporting the technology strategy sitting on top of it.
4. Is our connectivity ready for AI?
AI is going to make that dependency on connectivity even greater; many AI tools, including Microsoft Copilot and generative AI platforms, rely on cloud infrastructure and continuous internet connectivity to function effectively.
A lot of the AI platforms businesses are starting to adopt are cloud-based, and increasingly they will be integrated directly into the applications people already use every day.
That means more data moving between users, applications and cloud platforms.
I’m not suggesting every business suddenly needs a multi-gigabit internet connection because they are using Copilot, but AI is another example of why connectivity needs to be looked at as infrastructure rather than just an internet bill.
As more workloads move away from the local network, the quality, resilience and performance of the connection becomes increasingly important.
5. When was the last time we reviewed our connectivity strategy?
For a surprising number of businesses, the answer is probably when the circuit was originally installed.
Connectivity has changed massively over the last few years; businesses reviewing their connectivity strategy today often discover faster, more resilient services are available at comparable costs.
FTTP availability has expanded, leased line pricing has changed, mobile connectivity has improved and technologies such as SD-WAN give organisations far more flexibility around how multiple connections can be used.
At the same time, the way businesses use their networks has completely changed.
A circuit that was perfectly suitable five years ago may no longer be the right solution today.
It is worth periodically looking at what connectivity you have, what it costs, how heavily it is being used and, most importantly, what happens when it fails.
You might find that you need more bandwidth.
You might find that resilience is the bigger issue.
Or you might simply find that there is now a much better service available at the same or even a lower cost.
Connectivity shouldn’t really be something that gets installed and forgotten about. It should evolve alongside the rest of the technology within the business.
Quick Summary
- ADSL is often no longer suitable for modern cloud-based businesses.
- FTTP and Ethernet services provide faster, more reliable connectivity.
- Business resilience should include backup connectivity and failover options.
- Cloud applications, Microsoft 365 and AI tools increase dependence on internet performance.
- Regular connectivity reviews help ensure networks remain aligned with business needs.
FAQs
What is replacing ADSL for businesses?
The most common replacements for ADSL are FTTP (Fibre to the Premises), leased lines and Ethernet connectivity services. These technologies provide significantly faster speeds, better reliability and improved support for cloud-based applications.
Is ADSL being phased out in the UK?
Yes. As part of the UK’s transition to fibre-based services, many legacy copper-based broadband technologies are gradually being retired in favour of full-fibre connectivity and modern digital services.
What are the benefits of FTTP for businesses?
FTTP offers faster download and upload speeds, greater reliability and improved performance for cloud applications, video conferencing, VoIP telephony and remote working.
Do small businesses need a leased line?
Not necessarily. While leased lines provide dedicated bandwidth and strong service guarantees, many small and medium-sized businesses can achieve excellent performance with FTTP combined with resilience options such as 4G, 5G or secondary broadband connections.
How does internet connectivity affect Microsoft 365 performance?
Microsoft 365 applications such as Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and Outlook depend heavily on internet connectivity. Poor bandwidth, high latency or unreliable connections can cause slow file access, poor call quality and reduced productivity.
How can businesses improve internet resilience?
Businesses can improve resilience by implementing backup internet connections, using different carriers, enabling 4G/5G failover, or deploying SD-WAN technology to automatically route traffic through available connections during an outage.