Sunderland is where Cyber Fibre is based, and it is a city with a lot of businesses that cannot afford a slow or unreliable connection. A leased line is the option those businesses usually look at when ordinary broadband is no longer enough. This page explains what a leased line is, who in Sunderland tends to need one, and what to expect when you order.
What a leased line actually is
A leased line is a fibre connection that runs from your premises to the provider's network and is reserved for your business alone. Three things set it apart from broadband:
- Uncontended. The capacity is yours and is not shared with other customers, so it does not slow down when the area is busy.
- Symmetrical. Upload speed matches download speed, which matters if you send as much data as you receive.
- Backed by a service level agreement. Faults are handled under a contract with a target restore time, rather than on a best effort basis.
Most leased lines in the UK are built on Openreach Ethernet Access Direct, known as EAD. EAD is available in 10Mbps, 100Mbps, 1Gbps and 10Gbps bandwidths, and the Openreach contract schedule sets a 5 hour restore time for the service.
Who in Sunderland needs one
Sunderland's economy is unusually varied, and the businesses that benefit most from a leased line are spread right across the city.
Manufacturing and the A19 corridor
Car making and advanced manufacturing are what Sunderland is best known for, with suppliers and engineering firms along the A19 and at the International Advanced Manufacturing Park on the edge of the city. These sites often run production software in the cloud, exchange large design files with customers and link several buildings together. A connection that drops or slows can hold up a line, so a dedicated service with a contractual fix time is often worth the extra cost.
Offices and contact centres at Doxford
Doxford International Business Park has some of the largest office buildings in the city, including contact centres where many people are on calls at the same time. Hundreds of simultaneous voice and video sessions need steady upload capacity, which is exactly what a symmetrical, uncontended line provides.
The city centre and Riverside Sunderland
Riverside Sunderland is bringing new offices to the banks of the Wear beside City Hall, while firms in the older streets of the city centre include solicitors, accountants, agencies and creative studios. Moving into a new building is a good moment to plan a leased line, because it can be ordered before you arrive.
Hylton Riverside and the wider city
Retail, logistics and trade businesses around Hylton Riverside and the city's industrial estates rely on stock systems, card payments and CCTV. For a single shop, business broadband is often enough. For a distribution operation or a head office linking several branches, a leased line can make more sense.
How long installation takes
A standard EAD leased line usually takes around 33 working days. Some take longer, because each line is built for its site: a survey may find that new ducts, groundworks or wayleaves are needed, and a landlord may have to give permission for work in a shared building. The same source notes that a significant share of EAD orders can incur excess construction charges.
When extra construction is needed, there may be an excess construction charge. We confirm the exact cost for your site after the survey, before you commit, and you can cancel with nothing to pay if you would rather not go ahead.
Leased line or business full fibre?
Plenty of Sunderland businesses do not need a leased line at all. Business full fibre is shared and best effort, but it is quicker to install and costs less, and for a small office it is often the sensible choice. Our guide to leased line vs business broadband walks through the differences and the questions that help you decide.
A note on funding
Some businesses previously used the government's gigabit vouchers to help with installation costs. The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme closed to new projects on 31 August 2026, although projects already under way continue. Some local authorities may run their own schemes, so it is worth checking with the council.
Get a quote from your Sunderland provider
Run an online check on our leased lines page or request a quote, and we will survey your site and come back with options. If you would rather talk it through, call our team in Sunderland on 0191 543 3432.