Here Kristian Torode, Director and Co-Founder of connectivity expert Crystaline, explains why your SME's Internet may be holding your business back, and how to fix it.

According to a report by Beaming, over 50 million hours were lost by UK businesses in 2023 due to internet failures, working out as a loss of £3.7 billion.

Particularly for SMEs with tight budgets and limited resources, a secure and reliable broadband setup with sufficient bandwidth is crucial.

So, if you’re experiencing problems with your internet, here are some common problems to look for, with tips on how to resolve them.

Six common reasons for lost business broadband

1) Residential broadband used in an office

Without realising it, there’s a chance you might have residential broadband set up for your office. This would lack business-specific features, such as a service level agreement (SLA) to offer guarantees such as uptime and fault repair times.

As business broadband is better able to prioritise traffic and promise quick fixes, it can lead to huge improvements with your team’s online productivity.

2) Potential cyber attack

If you’re experiencing internet problems such as poor call quality despite being connected to broadband, it’s worth being vigilant and checking for signs of a cyber attack. If attackers gain access to your system, they may start consuming your bandwidth, installing malicious software or even launching targeted disruptions. Any of these activities can result in lag, echo, or dropped connections during VoIP and video calls.

More severe attacks, like denial-of-service (DoS) or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), deliberately overwhelm your connection with traffic until it becomes unstable or unusable. Even if you’re not directly targeted, being part of a wider attack or botnet can cause your broadband to slow down significantly.

If anything doesn’t look right, do a full scan through your antivirus programme. The National Cyber Security Centre suggests doing a second scan through another programme if nothing is found the first time.

And if there is a live cyber attack, call Action Fraud immediately on 0300 123 2040.

3) Router configuration

For a lot of SMEs, a key priority with the internet is having high-quality voice and video calls, especially as businesses increasingly adopt VoIP technology.

Check if your router is configured with Quality of Service (QoS) settings. This will ensure any voice and video calls are prioritised if the team’s broadband usage is higher than usual, such as if someone is uploading particularly large files.

4) Faulty router

As well as checking the configuration, look out for any signs of damage or technical fault. If it’s overheating, for example, this could be causing it to slow down or switch off temporarily. This may just be due to its location, such as if it’s in a confined space.

However, overheating can also be a sign the router is faulty. Contact your broadband provider if you think this is the case as they’ll be able to advise you on the next steps.

5) Disruptions from shared infrastructure

When internet is slow during peak times, it could be due to shared infrastructure, especially if you’re working from a business park or a co-working space.

If this is the case, it could be worth upgrading to a dedicated line to avoid other people’s broadband usage interrupting your own.

Alternatively, another option is to stick to the shared infrastructure, but discuss a guaranteed contention ratio with your provider to make sure your business has sufficient bandwidth per user.

6) Insufficient bandwidth

Ruled out the above issues? It might be time to upgrade to a faster and more powerful broadband, such as Fibre to the Premises (FTTP).

FTTP is a fast, full-fibre connection that connects from the local exchange straight to your business address. This is a good alternative to Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) which still relies on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), which is due to retire in early 2027.

When weighing up the costs of upgrading, consider whether the money lost from broadband issues makes it worthwhile to spend a bit extra for improved reliability and future proofing.

Overall, by making sure you have the right broadband plan for your business, you can be confident that it will be reliable and boost, rather than hinder, productivity.

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