You’re probably on a mission to continue to adopt hybrid work and expand your business across multiple sites, which has lead you here. By doing so, you are ensuring secure, high-performance connectivity between offices and home workers has never been more important.
The good news is, leased lines offer the speed, stability and security needed to support modern remote operations.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up remote offices using leased lines, the key infrastructure considerations, and how to connect multi-location teams effectively, so read on to learn more.
📡 What Is a Leased Line?
A leased line is a dedicated and symmetrical internet connection provided exclusively to your business, delivering guaranteed speeds (typically ranging from 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps) both for upload and download.
💡 Why do these type of lines matter for remote offices?
Leased lines offer consistent performance that supports:
- Real-time collaboration tools (like Teams or Zoom)
- Cloud-based systems (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, CRMs)
- Remote access to on-prem servers or private networks
- High-quality VoIP and video calls
🧩 Benefits of Leased Lines for Multi-Site Teams
✅ Guaranteed bandwidth which is critical when multiple users access shared services
✅ Low latency, which is essential for remote collaboration, VoIP and cloud apps
✅ 99.9–100% SLA uptime – with automatic failover and fast repairs
✅ Secure communication, so you can pair with VPNs, firewalls or MPLS for site-to-site security
✅ Scalable infrastructure so you can easily upgrade speeds as your teams grow
🛠️ How to Set Up a Remote Office Using a Leased Line
Here’s a step-by-step guide to building a stable multi-location setup using leased lines:
1. Audit your businesses needs
- How many locations? (HQ, branch offices, home users?)
- What apps/services need to be accessed remotely?
- What bandwidth does each site require?
- Do you need secure inter-office links (VPN/MPLS)?
- What backup/failover options are in place?
👉 Tip: Bandwidth needs grow fast and is always futureproof.
2. Choose the right leased line type
Line Type | Best For | Speed Range |
Standard Ethernet Leased Line | Single office, high-speed internet | 100 Mbps–10 Gbps |
MPLS Leased Line | Multi-site with private WAN needs | 100 Mbps–1 Gbps |
Ethernet First Mile (EFM) | Budget option in fibre-limited areas | 2 Mbps–35 Mbps |
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) | Interim solution in rural setups | 100 Mbps–1 Gbps |
3. Link your offices securely
Use one of the following to link remote offices and HQ:
- 🔐a VPN creates encrypted tunnels over public networks
- 🔗 MPLS offers a private, provider-managed network
- 🛰️ SD-WAN gives you cloud-based smart routing for multiple sites
Each has its pros and cons depending on security, flexibility, and budget.
4. Integrate cloud and voice systems
Remote offices need more than just internet – they need full access to core tools.
✅ Enable VoIP over leased line for crystal-clear calls
✅ Integrate with cloud platforms (Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Salesforce)
✅ Use remote desktop/VPN tools for secure server access
✅ Adopt secure file-sharing and backup systems
5. Implement failover and monitoring
No matter how reliable your leased line, you need contingency.
📶 Use 4G/5G backup routers or a secondary broadband line
🔍 Deploy leased line monitoring tools for real-time alerts and diagnostics
📞 Ensure 24/7 provider support is part of your SLA
🔍 UK Leased Line Providers for Remote Office Setups
Provider | Redundancy options | Dual carrier Support? | From |
Diverse routing, dual links | Yes | £399 + redundancy | |
Dual-site connectivity | Yes | £400 + | |
Separate routes, SD-WAN | Yes | £450 + | |
Active-passive options | Limited | £300 + | |
Multi-site and resilient WAN | Yes | £375 + |
💷 Estimated Setup Costs
Component | One-off cost | Monthly bost |
Leased Line Installation | £0–£2,500 (varies by location) | From £175–£500+ |
Firewall/Router Hardware | £250–£1,000 | – |
4G/5G Failover Setup | £150–£400 | From £20/month |
Remote Access Licensing (VPN etc.) | Varies | From £5/user |
📌 Many costs can be reduced via government grants – especially in rural areas.
🧠 Final Tips for UK SMEs Running Remote Offices
- Check fibre availability at every site before committing to leased lines
- Monitor user experience with real-time tools like SolarWinds, Paessler or your ISP’s dashboard
- Prioritise security: always use firewalls, antivirus and VPN tunnels
- Review contracts annually to ensure bandwidth, SLA and pricing still align with business needs