Updated April 2026. All pricing reflects current UK business rates ex-VAT. Actual costs depend on location, speed and SLA requirements.
Why Multi-Site Connectivity Matters
If your business operates from more than one location, you need them to talk to each other. Reliably. Securely. Fast.
This applies to:
- Offices: HQ, regional branches, satellite offices
- Retail: Shops, showrooms, pop-up stores
- Warehouses: Distribution centres, fulfilment hubs
- Construction: Temporary sites needing fast deployment
- Healthcare: Surgeries, clinics, care homes
- Education: Multi-campus institutions
Poor connectivity between sites means slow file access, dropped video calls, failed cloud applications and frustrated staff.
Technology Options Explained
Leased Lines
A leased line is a dedicated, uncontended internet connection. You don’t share bandwidth with anyone.
- Speeds: 100Mbps to 10Gbps symmetric (same up and down)
- SLA: 99.9-99.99% uptime guaranteed, 4-5 hour fix times
- Best for: Head offices, data centres, sites running critical applications
- Cost: £200-500/mo for 100Mbps-1Gbps depending on distance from exchange
FTTP / FTTC Business Broadband
Fibre broadband is the cost-effective option for smaller sites.
- Speeds: Up to 900Mbps down, 110Mbps up (FTTP). Lower on FTTC.
- SLA: Best-effort or basic business SLAs
- Best for: Branch offices, retail stores, low-criticality sites
- Cost: £25-80/mo
See our broadband deals comparison.
SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network)
SD-WAN is the modern replacement for MPLS. It sits on top of your existing connections and makes them smarter.
- How it works: Routes traffic intelligently across multiple links (broadband, leased line, 4G/5G)
- Benefits: Application-aware routing, automatic failover, centralised management, encrypted tunnels
- Best for: Businesses with 3+ sites wanting reliability without leased line cost at every location
- Cost: £30-100/mo per site for the SD-WAN overlay (plus underlying connectivity)
MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching)
MPLS is the legacy enterprise WAN technology. Still used but being replaced by SD-WAN.
- How it works: Private network run by one carrier. Traffic stays within their network.
- Benefits: Guaranteed performance, low latency, carrier-managed
- Drawbacks: Expensive, inflexible, slow to deploy new sites, vendor lock-in
- Cost: £300-1,000+/mo per site
4G/5G Mobile Connectivity
Wireless connectivity for sites where fixed broadband is unavailable or as failover.
- Speeds: 30-300Mbps (4G/5G depending on coverage)
- Best for: Temporary sites, construction, events, failover backup
- Cost: £25-60/mo for a data SIM + router
Read more: 5G business connectivity for field workers and sites.
Comparison Table: Which Technology for Which Site?
| Technology | Speed | SLA | Cost/mo | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leased Line | 100M-10Gbps | 99.99% | £200-500+ | HQ, data centre |
| FTTP | Up to 900Mbps | Best effort | £25-80 | Branch offices |
| SD-WAN overlay | Depends on underlay | Application-level | £30-100 | 3+ site networks |
| MPLS | 10M-1Gbps | 99.99% | £300-1,000+ | Legacy high-security |
| 4G/5G | 30-300Mbps | None | £25-60 | Temp sites, failover |
How SD-WAN Is Replacing MPLS
SD-WAN has become the leading multi-site business connectivity UK technology. Here’s why:
- 60-80% cheaper than MPLS for equivalent performance
- Application-aware: Prioritises Teams calls over file downloads automatically
- Multi-link: Bonds broadband, leased line and 4G/5G into one resilient connection
- Cloud-native: Direct breakout to Azure, AWS and Microsoft 365 — no backhaul to HQ
- Fast deployment: New sites online in days, not weeks
- Centralised management: One dashboard for all sites
SD-WAN doesn’t eliminate leased lines. For optimal multi-site business connectivity UK-wide, the ideal setup is a leased line at HQ with SD-WAN overlaying broadband and 4G at branch sites. This gives enterprise-grade resilience at a fraction of MPLS cost.
Need to Connect Multiple Sites?
We design multi-site solutions using SD-WAN, leased lines and 5G failover — all managed through one portal with a single bill.
Security for Multi-Site Networks
Connecting multiple sites creates a larger attack surface. Essential security measures:
- Encrypted tunnels: All site-to-site traffic encrypted with IPsec or WireGuard
- Zero-trust network access: Users authenticate per-application, not per-network
- Cloud firewalls: Centralised firewall policies pushed to all sites
- Segmentation: Guest WiFi, IoT devices and corporate traffic on separate VLANs
- SASE: Secure Access Service Edge combines SD-WAN with cloud security
Read our guide to business continuity and disaster recovery.
Cloud Connectivity
Most multi-site businesses rely on cloud services. Direct cloud connectivity options:
- Azure ExpressRoute: Private connection to Microsoft Azure and 365
- AWS Direct Connect: Dedicated link to Amazon Web Services
- Google Cloud Interconnect: Private access to Google Cloud Platform
- SD-WAN cloud on-ramps: Optimised paths to major cloud providers from any site
Real-World Scenario: Connecting a 10-Site Retail Chain
Here’s how Connection Technologies would connect a retailer with 10 UK locations:
| Site | Connection | Cost/mo |
|---|---|---|
| HQ / warehouse | 500Mbps leased line + 5G failover | £350 |
| 8 retail stores | FTTP 300Mbps + 4G failover each | £75 each |
| 1 pop-up / seasonal | 5G router | £45 |
| SD-WAN overlay (all sites) | Centralised management and failover | £50/site |
| Total | 10 sites connected | ~£1,495/mo |
Compare this to MPLS at £500+/site and the savings are clear. Our portal gives the IT team real-time visibility of every connection, with automated alerts when a link drops.
The Connection Technologies Approach
- Site survey: We assess each location’s available infrastructure and recommend the best technology
- Design: We create a network design covering primary, failover and SD-WAN overlay connections
- Project management: Our technical team coordinates installations across all sites — we handle wayleaves, engineer bookings and equipment delivery
- Monitoring portal: Every connection monitored 24/7 through our dedicated portal, with real-time bandwidth graphs, uptime tracking and automated alert escalation
- Single bill: One invoice covering all sites, all technologies, all providers
- Ongoing support: Named account manager plus technical escalation team for fault resolution
For businesses seeking improved multi-site business connectivity UK-wide, we audit your current setup and identify savings. Many clients reduce WAN costs by 40-60% by moving from MPLS to SD-WAN.
Request a free multi-site assessment.
How to Plan a Multi-Site Rollout
- Audit current connectivity: Document what each site has, what it costs, when contracts end
- Define requirements: Bandwidth, latency, uptime SLAs per site
- Categorise sites: Tier 1 (critical), Tier 2 (important), Tier 3 (flexible)
- Choose technology per tier: Leased line for Tier 1, FTTP + SD-WAN for Tier 2, 5G for Tier 3
- Select providers: Or let a broker like CT source the best deals across multiple carriers
- Phased rollout: Start with HQ and most critical sites, then roll out to branches
- Monitor and optimise: Use the portal to track performance and adjust as needed
Read our complete business telecoms guide for a broader view.
Multi-Site Connectivity Made Simple
From site surveys to installation, monitoring and support — we handle every step. One portal, one bill, one account manager.
Frequently Asked Questions
SD-WAN overlaying a mix of leased lines and FTTP broadband is the most cost-effective approach in 2026. Use leased lines at critical sites and FTTP with 4G/5G failover at branches. SD-WAN provides intelligent routing and automatic failover across all connections.
Leased lines cost £200-500+ per month depending on speed and distance from the exchange. A 100Mbps line typically starts at £200/mo. 1Gbps lines range from £350-500/mo. Installation takes 30-90 days.
SD-WAN is software that sits on top of your internet connections and makes them smarter. It routes traffic based on application priority, provides automatic failover, and gives centralised management. Any business with 3+ sites should consider it.
5G offers 100-300Mbps speeds with no installation wait, making it ideal for temporary sites or failover. However, it lacks the guaranteed SLA, symmetric speeds and consistent latency of a leased line. Use 5G as a complement, not a replacement, for critical sites.
Yes. Connection Technologies provides a dedicated monitoring portal that shows real-time status, bandwidth usage and uptime for every site. You receive automated alerts when a connection drops and can raise support tickets directly from the dashboard.
5G/4G can be live within 24-48 hours. FTTP broadband takes 1-2 weeks. Leased lines take 30-90 days depending on whether civils work is needed. Our project management team coordinates everything so you just focus on your business.
For most businesses, no. SD-WAN delivers equivalent or better performance at 60-80% lower cost. MPLS may still make sense for ultra-low-latency financial trading or highly regulated environments. For everyone else, SD-WAN is the better choice.
Multi-Site Business Connectivity UK — 2026 Market Data
Gartner predicts 60% of UK enterprises will replace MPLS with SD-WAN by 2027, making multi-site business connectivity UK the fastest-changing segment of business telecoms in 2026. IDC values the UK SD-WAN market at £890 million in 2026.
Multi-site business connectivity UK benchmarks for 2026:
- SD-WAN cost savings vs MPLS: 40-60% (Forrester)
- Average multi-site business connectivity UK bandwidth per branch: 100-200 Mbps
- Ofcom reports full-fibre availability at 72% of UK business premises in 2026
- 5G fixed wireless for multi-site business connectivity UK: speeds up to 1 Gbps
- Typical leased line lead time: 60-90 working days
Connection Technologies designs multi-site business connectivity UK solutions combining SD-WAN, leased lines, and 5G in 2026. Get a multi-site connectivity assessment →
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