If you have looked at business broadband recently, you have probably met three unfamiliar names: SoGEA, FTTP and SoADSL. They describe how the connection reaches your building. None of them comes with a phone line, and which one you can have depends on your exact address.
The short version
| Product | How it reaches your building | Download speed, up to | Phone line needed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTTP | Fibre all the way in | 1,600 Mbps | No |
| SoGEA | Fibre to the street cabinet, copper for the last stretch | 80 Mbps | No |
| SoADSL | Copper all the way from the exchange | 21 Mbps | No |
The FTTP and SoADSL figures are Openreach’s published maximums (Openreach). For fibre to the cabinet, the technology under SoGEA, Openreach gives up to 76 Mbps, and the top SoGEA tier is sold as 80 Mbps. What a particular building gets depends on its distance from the cabinet or exchange, and for FTTP on the package you choose.
What SoGEA is
SoGEA stands for single order generic ethernet access. It is the same technology as fibre to the cabinet (FTTC): fibre runs to the green cabinet in your street, and the existing copper pair carries the signal the last few hundred metres. The difference is that FTTC was sold on top of a phone line, so you paid line rental for a number you might never use. SoGEA is ordered on its own, which is what “single order” means.
The common speed tiers are 40, 55 and 80 Mbps download, with up to 20 Mbps upload on the 80 Mbps tier (DrayTek). Performance is the same as FTTC on the same line, because it is the same line.
Openreach still describes fibre to the cabinet as its most widely available type of broadband, so where full fibre has not reached your street, SoGEA is usually what you will be offered.
What FTTP is
FTTP is fibre to the premises: a fibre cable runs from the network all the way into your building, with no copper anywhere. Openreach describes it as its fastest and most reliable broadband, with download speeds of up to 1,600 Mbps and five times fewer faults than copper connections. Upload speeds are much higher than on SoGEA as well, which matters if your team sends large files or runs video calls all day.
FTTP is also a single order product with no phone line. If your address can get it, it is almost always the one to choose.
What SoADSL is
SoADSL is single order ADSL: copper all the way from the telephone exchange, again without a phone line. Openreach gives its maximum as 21 Mbps, and the further you are from the exchange the less you get. It is the fallback for addresses where neither fibre option exists yet, and the first thing to upgrade when one arrives.
SoGEA or FTTP?
Take FTTP if your address can get it. It is faster in both directions and fails less often.
SoGEA is the right choice when full fibre has not reached you. It handles email, Microsoft 365, hosted phones and card payments comfortably for a typical office, and you can move to FTTP later without changing provider when fibre reaches your building.
SoGEA and FTTC are the same connection; the only difference is the phone line. If you are still paying for an FTTC line with a phone line attached that nobody uses, moving it to SoGEA removes the line rental.
What happens to your phone number
All three products carry data only. If a number lives on the phone line you are giving up, it needs to move first. We port it to a hosted phone service before the old line is retired, so calls keep coming in on the same number.
Analogue phone lines are going in any case: Openreach plans to retire the old phone network, and with it ISDN, on 31 January 2027. Our PSTN switch-off guide covers what to check before then.
When broadband is not enough
All broadband, including FTTP, shares capacity with other users and is repaired on a best-effort basis. For most offices that is fine. If an outage would stop your business, there are two answers:
- a 4G or 5G backup that takes over automatically when the line fails, explained in our guide to mobile backup;
- a leased line: dedicated, symmetric bandwidth with a guaranteed fix time. Our article on when a leased line pays for itself helps you decide.
For a wider comparison, including microwave and satellite, see types of internet connection for business.
How long it takes
Business broadband usually takes 10 to 15 working days from order to a working line. If you are replacing an existing connection, the old one stays up until the new one is tested.
How we handle it
Every order starts with a check of what your exact address can get, from which carriers, because availability changes street by street and sometimes building by building on the same estate. We then supply and manage the business router, carry the connection onto our own core network, and look after faults from our service desk in Stockton-on-Tees, where a person answers within three rings.
We do this for businesses across the North East, including Stockton, Middlesbrough, Darlington and Newcastle. Find out what your address can get on our business broadband page, or call us on 01642 661888.