Broadband for Sole Traders

Where sole traders work, and what that means for broadband

Sole traders work from all sorts of places, and the right connection depends on which one is yours:

Fixed broadband runs on whichever access type the address has: Full Fibre (BT tiers from 100 to 900Mbps, with gigabit plans at some addresses), Standard Fibre (SOGEA, 38 or 76) or copper broadband (up to 17Mbps). We check availability for you.

Essential or Enhanced?

Most sole traders choose between BT's first two plans. The deciding question is simple: what does a day without internet cost you?

Choose Essential if you could carry on from a phone hotspot for a few hours and you do not need remote access to anything at your base. It is BT's entry plan, aimed at cost-conscious businesses.

Choose Enhanced if a line fault would stop you working: if you take card payments over the broadband, rely on cloud software all day, or would miss calls on an internet phone. Hybrid Backup switches you to 4G automatically if the fixed line fails, and BT says your static IP and IP voice keep working on the backup. Enhanced also includes BT's Enhanced IT Support, which helps when there is no one else to ask.

If you need one extra feature, such as a static IP to view cameras or reach a NAS, adding it to Essential can be simpler than moving up. If you need two or three, Enhanced is often the cleaner buy. We compare both in your quote.

Guest Wi-Fi for your customers

If customers wait, sit or work at your premises, such as in a salon, a small café, a treatment room or a workshop office, BT's guest Wi-Fi is included on every BT Business Broadband plan. It is password-free, so you are not handing out your own Wi-Fi password, and it stays separate from your business network and devices.

BT says guest Wi-Fi gives up to 13 people free Wi-Fi while they are at your premises, keeps 80% of the available speed for your business and blocks inappropriate, illegal or malicious content as standard. You switch it on in My Account or the BT Business app.

A business number on your mobile

Many sole traders use their personal mobile for everything, then struggle to switch off or to keep a business number if they change phone. BT no longer sells traditional phone lines, so a business number now comes as a digital service:

• A BT Digital Line: BT's Cloud Voice Express can be bundled with BT Business Broadband (except Ultra). It runs on the Cloud Voice Express app on your mobile, so your business number goes where you go, or on a BT-supplied handset at your base. See broadband and phone and BT Cloud Voice Express.
• BT Cloud Voice: if you take on staff and need extensions or call routing later. See BT Cloud Voice.

Digital lines do not work in a power cut, so keep your mobile charged. If you have an existing business number on an old phone line, plan the move before traditional lines are switched off, which BT says will happen by January 2027: see the PSTN switch-off and your broadband.

Keeping business and personal use apart

If you work from home, the same connection often serves the business and the household. A few practical steps keep things tidy:

• Put the account in the business's name. A business broadband account at your home address gives you business bills and business support. BT says you can have business broadband at home if you run your business from there.
• Keep work devices on their own network. Guest Wi-Fi is designed for visitors rather than for family: BT limits it to up to 13 people and switches it off for each guest when they leave. On Pro, Wi-Fi Security Controls let you group devices, approve new ones before they join and schedule or block access.
• Switch on the security. Content Controls and Web Protect are included with every plan but off by default; turn them on in My Account. See Web Protect and Content Controls.
• Use a separate business number. A Digital Line on the app keeps business calls apart from personal ones on the same phone.

How you treat a shared connection for tax is a question for your accountant or HMRC's guidance on GOV.UK. We do not give tax advice, but we can make sure the account and bills are in your business's name.

Speed for a one-person business

A sole trader does not usually need the top speed tier, but upload speed matters more than people expect if you send large files, back up to the cloud, upload photos or video, or spend much of the day on video calls. Full Fibre gives far more upload headroom than Standard Fibre: up to 104Mbps upload on Full Fibre 900, against up to 19Mbps on Standard Fibre 76. Our guide to what broadband speed your business needs helps you size it by what you do, and BT gives you the minimum guaranteed speed for your address before you order.

Switching or starting out

If you already have broadband at your base, moving to BT Business Broadband is a switch rather than a new installation in most cases. You order, BT contacts your current provider, and BT says the switch takes at least 10 working days, with your existing service carrying on meanwhile and about 30 minutes offline on the day. Before you order:

1. Check your current contract end date, so you know whether your current provider will charge to leave early.
2. Note any static IP address you rely on. BT says static IP addresses can't be moved between providers, so anything set up to recognise your current one will need updating.
3. Check anything that uses the old phone line, such as an alarm or a card machine, before the line changes.
4. Ask us to check the address, so you know which access type and speeds BT offers there.

If you are starting out at a new address, see business broadband for startups, which covers getting online on 4G before the line is live. Our switching guide explains BT's process in more detail.

How we help sole traders

We keep it straightforward: we check what your address can get, explain the difference between Essential and Enhanced for the way you work, quote, place the order and help with the installation date and any set-up questions. If you want a business number too, we can add a Digital Line. BT's prices depend on the speed, plan, add-ons and contract term, and BT's offers change, so the figures come in your quote; our prices guide explains what affects them.

Contact us with your address and how you work.