A Service Level Agreement contractually defines fault response time, resolution target, uptime guarantee, and compensation. Without it, repairs are “best effort”.
| Feature | Residential | Business |
|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed repair | No | Yes |
| Uptime guarantee | No | ≥99.5% |
| Compensation | Limited | Service credits |
Standard
- 24–48h fix
- working hours
- 99.5% uptime
Sole traders, low‑criticality.
Enhanced
- 12–24h fix
- 24/7 reporting
- higher uptime
SMEs, VoIP, client‑facing.
Leased line
- 4–8h fix
- 99.9–99.99%
- proactive
Data‑critical, hosting, finance.
Service credits (e.g., 10% of monthly fee) are typical – rarely full revenue loss. If downtime = £1k/day, a 3‑day outage costs more than years of SLA upgrade.
Fibre vs leased line SLA
| Business fibre | Leased line | |
|---|---|---|
| Fix | 24–48h | 4–8h |
| Uptime | ~99.5–99.9% | 99.9–99.99% |
| Cost | £30–70 | £200+ |
Most SMEs thrive with enhanced fibre SLA.
Downtime cost example
£1,000/day revenue · 4‑day residential repair = £4,000 loss. Enhanced SLA at +£15/month = negligible vs. potential hit.
Do all business plans include SLAs?
Yes, but strength varies – always compare fix times.Is 24h fix guaranteed?
Usually, but check if “working hours” or “calendar”.Leased line necessary for small biz?
Not typically; enhanced fibre SLA covers most SMEs.What if SLA breached?
Service credits – rarely full revenue compensation.Secure your business connectivity
Compare SLAs from leading providers – find the right fix time and uptime for your operations.
Contact Utility KingWe'll match you with SLAs that matter.
© Utility King 2026 · innovative SLA comparison · fully responsive