Cader NetworksThree products, one name
Businesses shopping for "Ethernet" connectivity often find quotes ranging from under a hundred pounds a month to several thousand, for what looks like the same thing on paper. The difference is which underlying technology is actually being used.
FTTP-based Ethernet
Full fibre run directly to the premises, shared infrastructure rather than a dedicated circuit. Fast to install where fibre already reaches the building, and considerably cheaper than a dedicated leased line. The tradeoff is a lighter-weight SLA, typically a best-effort or standard response time rather than a guaranteed fix time with service credits.
EFM (Ethernet First Mile)
Bonded copper pairs delivering Ethernet-style symmetrical bandwidth without needing new fibre in the ground. A useful middle ground where fibre is not available but a business needs more reliability than standard broadband, with a more meaningful SLA than FTTP-based Ethernet usually carries.
Dedicated leased lines
A genuinely dedicated fibre circuit, not shared with other premises, symmetrical bandwidth from 10 Mbps up into multi-gigabit, and a proper SLA with guaranteed fix times and service credits if it is breached. The most expensive option and the longest to install, because it usually needs its own civils work, but the only option that gives a true guarantee rather than a best-effort promise.
How to choose
Start with what actually happens if it goes down
A business that loses real money for every hour of downtime needs the guarantee a leased line provides. A business that would be inconvenienced but not seriously harmed by an outage can reasonably choose the cheaper option and add 4G failover instead.
Check what is actually available at your address
Not every option is available everywhere. We check what infrastructure already reaches your building before recommending a product, since the theoretical best option is irrelevant if the civils work to deliver it would take six months.
Factor in the install timeline, not just the monthly cost
See our companion guide on leased line vs fibre install timelines for how much this can vary.
For most Welsh businesses, business FTTP broadband with optional 4G failover is the practical starting point. See our business broadband page, or our leased lines page if guaranteed bandwidth is the priority.