IT Glossary · Networking

Internet Leased Line (ILL)

A dedicated internet connection reserved exclusively for one business, with equal upload and download speeds and a contractual uptime guarantee — not shared with any other user.

An Internet Leased Line (ILL) is a private point-to-point circuit between your business premises and your ISP's exchange, providing symmetrical bandwidth that is yours alone. Unlike consumer broadband where the underlying infrastructure is shared among hundreds of users, an ILL gives you guaranteed throughput 24/7/365. The ISP connects your office to their backbone via dedicated fibre-optic cable, and you receive the full contracted bandwidth regardless of time of day or network load elsewhere.

Dedicated Bandwidth: Every megabit of your subscribed speed is reserved for you — no contention with neighbours or other businesses.
Symmetric Speed: Upload and download speeds are identical (e.g., 20 Mbps both ways), enabling VoIP, video conferencing, cloud backups, and VPN without speed imbalance.
SLA-Backed Uptime: ISPs provide contractual uptime guarantees — typically 99.5% to 99.9% — with defined resolution times (MTTR) and compensation for failures.
Static IP Addresses: Fixed, unchanging public IP addresses for hosting, VPN endpoints, and security configurations.

Related terms: SD-WAN, MPLS, Last-Mile Connectivity, Dark Fibre, SLA, Broadband, Static IP

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between leased line and broadband in India?

Broadband is shared (contended), asymmetric (faster download than upload), and has no uptime SLA. A leased line is dedicated, symmetric, and comes with a contractual uptime guarantee. For businesses using cloud ERP, VoIP, or video conferencing, broadband's shared nature causes performance problems that ILL eliminates.

How much does an internet leased line cost in India?

ILL pricing in India ranges from ₹8,000/month (2 Mbps) to ₹80,000+/month (100 Mbps), depending on location, provider, and contract term. Tata Communications, Airtel, Jio, and BSNL are the major providers. Contact us for a site-specific quote.

Need a reliable internet leased line? Get quotes from all major ISPs through National IT Service.