BT Business Broadband

What is BT Business Broadband?

BT Business Broadband is the broadband BT sells to businesses rather than households. It uses the same kinds of line as home broadband, but the plans are built around what a business needs from its connection: a speed BT commits to before you order, a way to stay online if the line fails, a separate network for visitors, security controls, static IP addresses for remote access, and fault-fix levels designed for working days.

BT sells it as three core plans, Essential, Enhanced and Pro, plus Ultra, a managed plan that swaps BT's hub for Cisco Meraki security equipment. Each plan comes in a range of speeds, and the speeds on offer depend on the type of line that reaches your premises.

On this site, BT Business Broadband is supplied by Forever Communications, part of Forever Group. Forever Communications is an Authorised Supplier for BT. We check what your address can get, recommend a plan and add-ons, prepare a quote, place the order and help you through installation and set-up. This is our site, not BT's, and we write it to explain BT's broadband in plain words so you can choose with confidence.

If you are still weighing up whether you need business broadband at all, start with business broadband vs home broadband.

The four BT Business Broadband plans

Every plan builds on the one before it, so the question is how much resilience, Wi-Fi coverage and security your business needs on top of a good connection:

• Essential: the entry plan. A fibre or copper connection with BT's minimum speed guarantee, unlimited data, guest Wi-Fi, Content Controls and Web Threat Protect, and BT's Standard Care fault fixing.
• Enhanced: everything in Essential plus Hybrid Backup, which switches you to 4G automatically if the line fails, one static IP address and BT's Enhanced IT Support. For businesses that cannot afford to go offline.
• Pro: everything in Enhanced plus Smart Hub 3, Complete Wi-Fi Plus with BT's Wi-Fi coverage guarantee, Prompt Care for next-working-day fault fixes, an Expert Setup visit and Wi-Fi Security Controls in the BT Business app.
• Ultra: BT's managed, security-led plan. A Cisco Meraki security appliance with built-in mobile backup replaces the hub, Cisco Meraki access points provide the Wi-Fi, and BT includes Expert Setup and Prompt Care.

See every feature side by side on BT Business Broadband packages compared, or read BT Ultra vs Pro if you are deciding between the top two. If you want a business number too, BT Business Broadband and Phone explains how a BT Digital Line can be bundled with the Essential, Enhanced and Pro plans.

Full Fibre, Standard Fibre or copper

The type of line at your address decides which speeds and plans you can have. BT checks this for each address before you order, and we run that check for you.

Neither Full Fibre nor Standard Fibre needs a phone line, BT no longer sells traditional phone lines, and BT says that in most areas you can have broadband without a phone line. BT's deals pages also list Full Fibre Gigabit and 1.6 Gigabit plans, with Essential and Enhanced, at some addresses; see gigabit business broadband. For how the technologies differ, read FTTC vs FTTP, and for the full speed range see BT Business Broadband speeds.

What every plan includes

Whichever plan you choose, BT includes a core set of business features:

• BT's minimum speed guarantee. Before your service starts, BT tells you the minimum download speed it guarantees at your address. If your speed falls below it and BT cannot fix it within the agreed time, you can leave without penalty. See BT's minimum speed guarantee.
• Unlimited data. No usage caps for cloud apps, file sharing and video calls.
• Guest Wi-Fi. A password-free network for customers and visitors, kept separate from your business network. See business broadband with guest Wi-Fi.
• Content Controls and Web Threat Protect. Website filtering and warnings about sites suspected of being malicious, included as standard. They are switched off by default, so you turn them on in your BT account; some BT material still calls Web Threat Protect "Web Protect". See BT Web Protect and Content Controls.
• BT support and fault fixing. BT's Standard Care on Essential and Enhanced, and Prompt Care on Pro and Ultra. See BT Business Broadband support.

These are the main reasons to choose a business plan over a home one: a speed commitment in writing, a separate network for visitors, and fault fixing set up for working days.

Add-ons that make a plan fit

You do not have to jump a whole plan to get one feature. BT offers several add-ons on the lower plans, and we help you work out which are worth it:

What each add-on costs depends on the plan and the offers BT is running when you order, so we set it all out in your quote. See what affects BT Business Broadband prices.

Who BT Business Broadband suits

BT Business Broadband suits almost any business that works from one premises and wants a dependable connection without the cost of a dedicated line:

• Small businesses choosing between Essential, Enhanced, Pro and Ultra by size and risk
• Home-based businesses that want business features at home
• Startups getting a new premises online, sometimes before the line is ready
• Sole traders who want business and personal use kept apart
• Retail, hospitality, dental practices and clinics and accountants and solicitors, with more on our business broadband by sector page

If your business relies on large uploads, needs the same upload and download speed, or wants a stronger service level than broadband offers, it may be time for a dedicated line. Our guide on when to upgrade from broadband to a leased line covers the signs. Our sister site explains what a leased line is, compares leased line vs broadband and covers BTnet leased lines in depth.

Why buy BT Business Broadband through us

Buying broadband sounds simple until you hit the detail: which access type your address really has, whether an old phone line is still carrying an alarm or card machine, whether your static IP addresses can move, and which add-ons are worth paying for. That is where we help:

• We check your address first, so the plan, speed and installation route are clear before you commit.
• We recommend a plan for how you work, not the biggest one, and explain the trade-offs between plans in plain words.
• We set out a clear quote, with BT's terms, minimum period and any one-off charges explained.
• We place the order and help with installation, from engineer dates to preparing your premises.
• We help plan the digital switchover, so phones, alarms and card machines are not caught out. See the PSTN switch-off and your broadband.
• We can add calls, from a BT Digital Line to multi-user BT Cloud Voice.

Read more on buying BT Business Broadband from Forever Communications, or contact us with your postcode and what you need the connection to do.

Getting connected and getting help

Our guides walk through every stage of owning BT Business Broadband:

• Check BT Business Broadband availability at your address
• BT Business Broadband installation: engineer and self-install, and what to prepare
• Switching your business broadband to BT from another provider
• Upgrading your BT Business Broadband if you are already a BT customer
• Moving premises with BT Business Broadband
• Using your own router or firewall
• BT Business Broadband contracts: minimum terms, price changes and the right to exit
• Broadband for VoIP and cloud phone systems
• Business broadband security and business Wi-Fi
• BT Business Broadband FAQs