Can't get full fibre business broadband? Stay connected with SOGEA

We’ve been talking about it for ages, but the copper stop sell has finally happened. Ahead of the big 2025 switch off of all services that use the copper telephone network, as of early September 2023 those services are (for the most part) no longer available for sale.

So what does that mean?

It means that if you’re in the market for a new business broadband connection or upgrade, you’ll no longer be able to purchase an ADSL (copper) or FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) broadband connection. And we’ve said many times that this isn’t a problem because full fibre broadband is a faster, more reliable alternative. But what if full fibre broadband isn’t available in your location?

Another alternative

Thankfully, there is an alternative to full fibre business broadband: Single Order Generic Ethernet Access or, to give it its more palatable name, SOGEA.

Like full fibre broadband, SOGEA comes without line rental. It’s a data-only broadband connection that otherwise acts in a similar way to fibre to the cabinet: local, already-existing, copper cables carry your data signals to and from the nearest street cabinet and from there onto the fibre optic network through the local exchange and beyond.

As we've said, the main difference between FTTC and SOGEA broadband is that SOGEA doesn't include line rental. SOGEA provides fast, reliable business broadband in locations where full fibre isn’t yet available, and like full fibre broadband, it is a data-only connection. But just because it doesn’t use the telephone network that doesn’t mean you can’t get a voice service.

SOGEA provides a reliable base for VoIP services like  Digital Voice and  CloudComms, meaning that you can keep making and receiving calls even without a phone line. Successful businesses rely as much as they ever have on being able to communicate with customers and clients in a variety of ways and no matter the extent of your voice needs, there’s Digital Voice or CloudComms solution for you.

If you're asking the question: 'can I get SOGEA broadband with my current phone line?', here's the answer. SOGEA broadband is generally available where full fibre broadband isn't. As the existing PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is retired and switched off, it will ensure that businesses are able to continue to receive broadband services without the need for a phone line. But to get back to that question, if you can currently access Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) broadband at your home or office, you'll also be able to access SOGEA broadband (assuming you don't have access to FTTP, or full fibre, which if you can will be the only broadband option available to you).

Although it is considered a full fibre broadband alternative in locations where full fibre isn't available, SOGEA doesn’t provide the ultrafast speeds of full fibre broadband. It’s available with up to 67Mbps average download speeds but for many users, depending on their needs, this is fast enough. If you don’t have access to full fibre and need a faster business internet connection, we’d recommend that you explore your other business broadband options and consider making use of a leased line service.

Ethernet leased lines are fast, reliable, and come with a guaranteed 99.9% availability SLA as standard.

The other great thing about SOGEA broadband is it can be provided to the homes of your remote or hybrid workers when or where they don’t have access to full fibre. And that means you can keep your entire workforce reliably connected, even if they’re not using your office on a regular basis.

New SOGEA customers also have access to the technology in two packages: Business Essentials and Business Essentials Pro. Each package provides the great business broadband service you would expect, with flexible SLA options available. Our Business Pro package includes 4G backup which helps to ensure seamless service even when your broadband goes down – reassuring to businesses that rely on always-on connections.

The best SOGEA broadband providers

If you want to find out more about SOGEA business broadband availability from Zen, we have more information – and a form to request a callback - here.