Business broadband by sector

Why your sector changes the broadband decision

The line into the building is decided by the address, not the industry. Depending on what is available, BT supplies BT Business Full Fibre (fibre all the way to the premises, with tiers up to 900Mbps), Standard Fibre (SOGEA, up to 76Mbps) or copper broadband (up to 17Mbps). Our availability guide explains how that is worked out.

What changes from one sector to the next is everything around the line:

• What stops when the connection stops. For a shop it is card payments; for a restaurant it is online orders and bookings; for a practice it is the appointment book; for an accountancy firm it is every file in cloud software.
• Who joins your Wi-Fi. Customers in a cafe, patients in a waiting room and clients in a meeting room all expect Wi-Fi, and none of them belongs on the network your business systems use.
• What is plugged into the old phone line. Card machines, alarms, lift lines, franking machines and some ordering systems were built for the traditional phone network, which closes on 31 January 2027.
• How sensitive the data is. Payment details, patient records and client files raise the stakes on who and what can connect.
• How the building is laid out. A single-room shop, a three-floor practice and a pub with a beer garden need different Wi-Fi.

The sector guides below work through those questions for each type of business, and point to the BT plans and add-ons that answer them.

Sector needs mapped to BT features

This table is a starting point, not a rule. Two businesses in the same sector can need different plans, which is why we check the address and ask how you work before we quote.

For the full feature list of each plan, see our BT Business Broadband packages comparison.

What every BT plan includes, whatever your sector

Before looking at sector differences, it helps to know the starting point. BT's Essential, Enhanced and Pro plans all include:

• A minimum speed guarantee. BT gives a Minimum Guaranteed Access Line Speed for your line before the service starts, under Ofcom's Business Broadband Speeds Code of Practice. See BT's Minimum Speed Guarantee.
• Unlimited data. No usage caps to manage, whatever your business sends and receives.
• BT Guest Wi-Fi. A password-free public network for visitors, kept separate from your business network.
• Content Controls and Web Protect. Network-level filtering and warnings about harmful sites, off by default and switched on in My Account.
• BT's fault-fix care. Standard Care on Essential and Enhanced, and Prompt Care on Pro.

The sector question is which extras to add on top: Hybrid Backup, a static IP address, Complete Wi-Fi Plus, Wi-Fi Security Controls, Prompt Care, or the managed Cisco Meraki kit in BT Ultra Broadband. Some come included with higher plans; others are add-ons. Ultra works differently: its Cisco Meraki appliance and access points provide the firewall, content filtering, guest network and cellular backup, with BT's Prompt Care included. Moving up a plan is often simpler than adding several extras to a lower one, and we set out both routes in the quote.

Four questions to answer in any sector

Whatever you do, these questions narrow the choice quickly. Have the answers ready and our quote will be closer to what you need first time.

1. What would a day offline cost you? If the answer is lost sales, missed appointments or staff sitting idle, look at Hybrid Backup for automatic 4G backup and at Prompt Care for BT's faster fault-fix target.
2. Who needs Wi-Fi, and where? Count staff devices, guest devices and the rooms or floors that need coverage. That points to BT Guest Wi-Fi, Complete Wi-Fi Plus or, for some single-site premises, the Cisco Meraki access points in BT Ultra Broadband.
3. What still uses a phone line? List card machines, alarms, lift lines, franking, fax, door entry and any ordering system that recognises callers. Our page on the PSTN switch-off and your broadband explains what to check.
4. Does anyone outside need to reach your network? Remote access, VPNs, cameras viewed from outside and supplier portals that only accept known addresses usually need a static IP address.

Sector guides

• Broadband for retail and shops. Card machines and EPOS, keeping the tills taking payments when the line fails, guest Wi-Fi for shoppers and coverage across the shop floor.
• Broadband for cafes, pubs and restaurants. Guest Wi-Fi with content filtering, ordering and booking systems, BT's caveat on takeaway systems that rely on phone numbers, and Wi-Fi in seating areas.
• Broadband for dental practices and clinics. Fault-fix levels, 4G backup as short-term cover, Wi-Fi across surgeries and floors, and network controls around patient data.
• Broadband for accountants, solicitors and consultancies. Upload speed for cloud files, a static IP for remote access, client Wi-Fi in meeting rooms and security controls.

Not in one of these sectors?

Most businesses fit one of the guides above or one of our size-based guides. If you are choosing by size and risk rather than sector, start with broadband for small business. If you work from home, see business broadband at home; if you are just starting out, business broadband for startups; and if you work for yourself, broadband for sole traders.

Some businesses outgrow broadband altogether. If your team moves large files all day, needs the same upload as download speed, or cannot accept the service level of a broadband product, read when to upgrade from broadband to a leased line, and see our sister site on BTnet leased lines.

How Forever Communications helps, whatever your sector

We start with how your business works rather than with a product list: what you take payments on, who needs Wi-Fi, what still runs on a phone line and what a fault would cost you.

We then check which line type and speeds BT can supply at your address, recommend a plan and the add-ons worth having, quote, place the order and help you through to installation day. If you also need a business phone number or a phone system, we can add a BT Digital Line or BT Cloud Voice. Pricing is confirmed at quote. Contact us and tell us what your business does.