Running a business in 2025 means everything runs on your connection — calls, payments, files, even the morning brew chat over Teams.
But here’s what I see every single week: SMEs putting up with “good enough” internet.
The type that usually works, until the moment it really matters.
If your Wi-Fi drops the second someone starts a video call, that’s not a coincidence; that’s your connection waving a white flag. Reliable broadband shouldn’t panic at the sight of a calendar invite.
When “good enough” isn’t
I spoke to a local firm in Bury last week who’d been losing around 40 minutes a day waiting for uploads to finish. Their broadband speed on paper looked fine — but the contention ratio (how many people share the same bandwidth) was through the roof.
They’d basically been sharing their “business line” with half the industrial estate.
When we moved them to a dedicated business-grade connection, the team saved over 14 hours a month. That’s an entire workday back, just by fixing the line.
The small print that bites
The biggest myth I hear?
“We’re fine, it’s only £45 a month and we never have issues.”
If you’re on a residential or “lite business” package, you’re often not guaranteed uptime, response times, or a static IP. That might not sound exciting — until your phones go down or your cloud system can’t reconnect properly.
Here’s what that usually means in practice:
- No guaranteed fix times. If your line goes down, you could be waiting up to five working days for a repair. I’ve had clients who’ve lost a week of card payments because their provider didn’t class it as “urgent.”
- No service-level agreements (SLAs) you can actually quote. A proper business connection comes with an SLA — usually a 4–6 hour response window — and you can hold them to it. Residential-style packages? You’re lucky if you even get an acknowledgement email before the next day.
- No static IP. Without one, your remote workers, security cameras, or VoIP system can randomly drop off. It’s one of those invisible problems that only shows up when it costs you money.
- No real person at the end of the phone. You’ll get a ticket number, not a technician. My clients call me directly. If it’s down, we fix it.
So before you sign anything with “unlimited” in bold and the rest in font size 8, make sure it actually covers what your business needs, not what looks good on the leaflet.
Simple rule of thumb
If your business relies on being online (and whose doesn’t?), you need:
- Business-grade broadband – with SLAs (service level agreements) you can actually quote.
- A VoIP setup that keeps you reachable anywhere.
- One local point of contact who’ll pick up the phone when things go wrong — not a call centre queue.
My advice
If you’re not sure what you’re really paying for, send me a copy of your latest broadband bill. I’ll happily check if it’s fit for purpose — no jargon, no upsell.
Let’s make sure your connection isn’t quietly draining your productivity (or your patience).
📧 info@piblu.co.uk 🌐 www.piblu.co.uk 📞 0161 388 8188
