In short
Leased lines by sector: BTnet gives every type of organisation dedicated, uncontended and symmetrical internet from 2Mbps to 10Gbps under BT's SLA. What changes by sector is the detail: filtering for schools, patient data for healthcare, card payments for retail and hospitality, guest Wi-Fi, industrial sites and multi-let offices.
Get a quote for BTnet
Tell us roughly how many users or sites you have and we will reply by email with options and a quote.
Why sector matters when planning a leased line
BTnet is the same service wherever it is installed. BT describes it as a dedicated, fully uncontended business connection with the same speed in both directions, port speeds from 2Mbps to 10Gbps, static IPv4 addresses as standard and no fair usage policy. Read what a BT leased line is for the full definition.
What differs from one organisation to the next is what the line has to carry, who manages the equipment at each end, what must keep working if the line fails, and which rules apply to the data that crosses it. A primary school, a GP practice and a distribution warehouse can all take the same product and still need very different plans. A school has safeguarding duties and a government broadband standard to work towards. A practice handles health data. A shop takes card payments, which brings card security standards that sit with its payments set-up rather than the internet line. A manufacturing site may sit at the end of a long rural road, which makes a survey and extra construction work more likely.
The sector guides below start from those pressure points and work back to the BTnet choices that answer them: plan, speed and bearer, resilience, security and Wi-Fi.
Sector guides at a glance
| Sector | Typical sites | What matters most | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schools and academy trusts | Primary and secondary schools, colleges, trust offices | DfE broadband standard, safeguarding filtering, a backup connection, installation in the holidays | Schools |
| Healthcare | GP practices, clinics, dental and care settings | Cloud clinical systems, calls and video consultations, patient Wi-Fi, keeping HSCN separate | Healthcare |
| Public sector | Council offices, depots, libraries, community buildings | Resilience for public services, static IPs, public Wi-Fi, procurement questions | Public sector |
| Charities | Head offices, warehouses, helplines, shops | Seasonal peaks, careful budgets, helpline calls, volunteer Wi-Fi | Charities |
| Law firms | Offices and chambers | Large documents, case management in the cloud, video hearings, secure remote access | Law firms |
| Manufacturing | Factories, plants, rural and industrial estates | Surveys and construction work, ERP and cloud systems, CCTV, resilience for production | Manufacturing |
| Retail | Head offices, distribution centres, larger stores | Cloud tills and stock systems, guest Wi-Fi, planning card payment security alongside the line | Retail |
| Hospitality | Hotels, venues, larger pubs and restaurants | Guest and staff Wi-Fi, bookings systems, events, card payments | Hotels and hospitality |
| Offices | Single offices, business centres, multi-let buildings | Landlord wayleaves, headcount changes, video calls, moving office | Offices |
If your organisation does not fit neatly into one row, start with the guide closest to your busiest site, or tell us about it through the form and we can help you shape the plan.
Not sure which option fits? Ask us
Tell us what you need and we will recommend the right option for your organisation, with a quote.
What every sector has in common
- A dedicated connection. BTnet bandwidth is reserved for your site, so a busy evening on a shared network does not slow your morning. See contended vs uncontended.
- Upload as fast as download. Video calls, cloud saves, backups and cameras all send data out. See symmetrical internet speeds.
- BT's service levels. BT sets availability, on-time delivery and latency service levels with service credits under its terms. See the BTnet SLA.
- Fixed addresses. Static IPv4 addresses come as standard, which helps with VPNs, remote access and allow-listing. See static IP addresses on BTnet.
- Room to grow. Choose a bearer with headroom and change the port speed later with Bandwidth Flex, on BT's notice and charging terms.
- A survey before a date. BT surveys each site and sets a Customer Committed Date once it knows what the installation involves. See the BTnet installation process.
Because these points are the same everywhere, the sector guides focus on what is different, and link back to the main guides for the detail.
Points that change by sector
A few issues come up again and again, and they are worth knowing before you read your own sector's guide.
Content filtering and safeguarding BT applies Cleanfeed filtering to BTnet as standard, which blocks web pages on the Internet Watch Foundation's list; customers can opt out in writing. That is a useful baseline, but it is not a full content filtering system. Schools in particular have their own statutory filtering and monitoring duties, covered in our schools guide.
Health and personal data A leased line carries data, it does not make an organisation compliant with data protection law. Health and care providers handle special category data, so the line sits inside a wider set of security controls. See leased lines for healthcare.
Card payments A leased line is internet access; it does not make card payments secure on its own. Retailers, hospitality businesses, charity shops and councils that take payments need card payment security, including the card industry's PCI DSS standard, handled through their payments provider and their own network controls. Tell us how you take payments and we can plan the line around it.
Guest and public Wi-Fi Under BT's terms you are responsible for how your Wi-Fi and guest Wi-Fi are used, including setting and securing passwords. That matters for hotels, libraries, waiting rooms and volunteer spaces. See BTnet Wi-Fi.
Buildings and land Industrial and rural sites are more likely to need excess construction charges agreed up front. Tenants in multi-let buildings usually need their landlord's consent through a wayleave agreement. Both can add time, so start early.
Is BTnet the right fit for you?
We will check it against your systems and requirements and recommend the right option.
Choosing the right BTnet plan for your organisation
BT currently offers three ways to take BTnet: wires only, BTnet with a Cisco router, and BTnet Meraki with BTnet Security. Your sector often points towards one of them:
| Plan | Who manages the router and security | Often suits |
|---|---|---|
| BTnet wires only | You (or your IT provider) supply and run the router and firewall | Trusts, councils and firms with their own IT team and an existing firewall |
| BTnet with a managed Cisco router | BT manages the router; you run your own firewall and security | Organisations that want BT to look after routing but keep their own security policy |
| BTnet Meraki + BTnet Security | BT manages Meraki equipment with the BTnet Security service | Smaller organisations without in-house network security skills; sites that want BTnet Wi-Fi |
The right answer depends on who supports your network today and what they already own. Our BTnet leased line plans page compares the three in more detail.
Getting a quote for your organisation
However specialised your sector, the route to a quote is the same:
- Tell us about the site: address and postcode, what the connection carries, and how many people rely on it.
- Agree the shape of the service: speed and bearer, plan, static IP needs and whether you want resilience.
- We check availability for your address and prepare a written quote, flagging any likely survey or construction questions.
- After you order, BT surveys the site and gives a Customer Committed Date. We can help you prepare for each step of installation.
Forever Communications is an Authorised Supplier for BT, so you get BTnet itself, with BT's service levels and terms, plus our help choosing and planning it for your sector. Pricing depends on the bearer, port speed, plan, term, location and any resilience or construction work, so ask us for a quote. See what affects the price of BTnet and our questions to ask before you order. Read why buy BTnet from Forever Communications, then Contact us with your postcode.
Sector guides
Why buy BTnet from Forever Communications
Forever Communications is part of Forever Group and an Authorised Supplier for BT. We supply BTnet, BT's dedicated leased line internet service, to businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations, and we help with each step from first enquiry to go-live.
- The right BTnet option for you: we help you choose a speed, bearer, router and resilience option that fits how your sites actually work, from BTnet plans to BTnet speeds
- A clear quote: BTnet is priced per site, so we check availability at your address and set out what is included; see leased line cost
- Installation managed with you: we explain the survey, any wayleave or construction steps and the installation process, and keep you updated on progress
- Connected services in one conversation: phones with BT Cloud Voice, Wi-Fi, firewalls and backup lines, so the whole set-up is planned together
- Help after go-live: we can help with faults, changes and upgrades, with the support arrangements confirmed in your quote
BTnet is a business service. Service levels, lead times and features are BT's and are confirmed at order.
Frequently asked questions
Is BTnet different for each sector?
No. BTnet is the same BT service everywhere. What changes is how it is planned: the speed and bearer, which of BT's three plans you choose, resilience, Wi-Fi and how the line fits your own security and compliance controls.
What kinds of organisations use leased lines?
Any organisation where many people and systems depend on one connection at once: schools, health and care providers, councils, charities with head offices or helplines, law firms, manufacturers, retailers, hotels and busy offices.
Can we take card payments on a site with BTnet?
Yes, but the line does not make payments secure by itself. Card payment security, including PCI DSS, is handled through your payments provider and your own network controls, so tell us how you take payments when you ask for a quote.
Does BTnet include web filtering?
BT applies Cleanfeed filtering as standard, which blocks pages on the Internet Watch Foundation's list. Fuller content (URL) filtering is part of BTnet Security, which is available with the Cisco Meraki managed equipment option.
Can we have different BTnet plans at different sites?
Yes. Each site has its own BTnet service, so a head office can have a higher speed and resilience while smaller sites take a simpler plan. See multi-site leased lines.
Still have a question about BTnet?
Ask us and a member of our team will reply by email.