How Much Bandwidth Does Your Business Actually Need?

July 3, 2025

Not Sure What Speed You Actually Need?

Choosing a broadband or leased line speed can feel like guesswork. 100 Mbps? 500 Mbps? A full gigabit? Many businesses overpay for speeds they’ll never use – while others discover too late that their connection can’t keep up.

That’s why we built our bandwidth calculator. It gives you a personalised speed estimate based on what your team actually does online – and how many of them are doing it at once.

What Is “Bandwidth,” and Why Does It Matter?

Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data your connection can handle at any moment – like a motorway for your internet traffic.

But unlike cars, your business internet isn’t just about how fast one person can go. It’s about how many people and how many things are happening at once – video calls, cloud backups, file uploads, VoIP phones and more.

The Pitfall of Guessing

Most broadband providers list a few vague speed tiers – but they don’t tell you what they’re actually good for.

50 Mbps might feel fine… until your team is on Zoom, uploading large files, and using cloud apps simultaneously.
1 Gbps sounds impressive… until you realise you’re paying for speed that only a fraction of your staff ever need.

Why Matching Bandwidth to Workload Matters

Underestimating:

Causes lag, dropouts, and delays.
Affects team productivity.
Kills the experience for remote workers and video calls.

Overestimating:

Wastes budget that could be invested elsewhere.
Hides the real issue (e.g. contention, SLA, or router limits).

Typical Speed Tiers and Business Use Cases

Speed Tier	Suitable For
50-100Mbps	Small offices, occasional video calls, web/email use.
100-300Mbps	Cloud tools, regular Zoom calls, light uploads.
500Mbps – 1Gbps	Design teams, large uploads, remote/hybrid setups.
1Gbps+	Multi-site, 24/7 ops, high-value data flow, VoIP/IoT-heavy.

Common Signs You’re Underpowered

Video calls freezing or dropping out.
Slow file transfers or laggy cloud apps.
Staff using hotspots or complaining about speed.
Backups or uploads taking hours instead of minutes.

Use Our Tool to Calculate Your Bandwidth Needs

Answer a few quick questions about:

Number of users (on-site & remote)
Cloud tools & video usage
Upload/download habits
Phones, smart devices & VoIP

Our tool will calculate a realistic minimum speed target for your business – and recommend whether broadband or a leased line is better suited.

Take the Next Step

The right speed isn’t about the biggest number, it’s about the right fit. Before you commit to a provider or price, take a minute or two to use the tool and find your business’s sweet spot.