What are leased lines and broadband?

A leased line is a dedicated service contract between a telecom service provider and a customer that provides for fixed bandwidth as well as fixed upload and download speeds. In case of leased lines, each individual customer receives a fixed bandwidth irrespective of other customers. Leased lines are charged at a fixed monthly or annual rate and are always active. The monthly fee is primarily a factor of the distance it connects. One advantage of a leased line of traditional dial up line is that it is always active and it assures the user a given level of quality. Leased lines are traditionally classified on the basis of their network designs. They are as follows:

• Site to site data connectivity
• Site to site PBX (private bank exchange) connectivity
• Site to network connectivity
• International Private Leased Circuit

A broadband is usually a very high end leased line, but is not a dedicated connection between the telecom service provider and the customer. Broadband is asymmetric, has variable bandwidth and hence has faster downloads than uploads. The usage of download by any particular customer is subject to contention with other users. Broadband services can be of various types depending upon the mode and kind of service provided. The various kind of broadband are: 

• Digital Subscriber Line 
• Cable Broadband
• Satellite Broadband
• Wireless Broadband