Business Broadband SLAs and Care Levels

Clear support and realistic repair targets

VoiceHost broadband services are delivered using a range of national and regional access networks. The repair target applying to your connection therefore depends on:

• The underlying network serving your premises
• The broadband product you selected
• The care level included with or added to your service
• Whether an engineer needs access to your premises

VoiceHost remains your point of contact throughout a fault. We will complete initial diagnostics, report qualifying network faults to the relevant supplier, manage escalations and keep you informed until service is restored.

Broadband repair targets at a glance

Enhanced and critical care options are only available on selected products and must normally be ordered before a fault occurs.

Openreach-based broadband

The following maintenance categories may apply to FTTP, SoGEA and other Openreach-based broadband services supplied through our wholesale partners.

Standard Care – MC5

The target is to restore a qualifying network fault within 40 clock hours after the fault has been accepted by the supplier, excluding permitted paused or “parked” time.

Where an engineer visit is required, normal site attendance hours are generally 08:00–18:00, Monday to Saturday. Sundays and regional public or bank holidays may be excluded from the repair measurement where site attendance is necessary.

Enhanced Care – MC4

Enhanced Care provides a target restoration time of 20 hours and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including UK public and bank holidays.

Engineering appointments are normally available between 08:00 and 18:00, Monday to Sunday. An out-of-hours visit may be used where necessary, provided unrestricted access to the premises is available.

Critical Care – MC14

Critical Care provides a target restoration time of seven hours and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Where remote diagnostics identify a network fault but an appointment is required, the repair target may run from the beginning of the agreed appointment slot.

If remote testing does not identify a network fault, an engineer appointment may initially be handled under Enhanced Care timescales. If the engineer subsequently identifies a fault within the supplier’s network, the applicable repair measurement will be adjusted in accordance with the supplier’s rules.

CityFibre broadband

Standard Care

The target is to restore a qualifying fault by the end of the next working day following the working day on which CityFibre accepts the fault.

For example, a fault accepted on Wednesday would normally have a target restoration time of the end of Thursday. Weekends and bank holidays can extend the target date.

Premium Care

Eligible CityFibre business services can include an eight-business-hour repair target.

CityFibre business hours are normally 09:00–17:00, Monday to Friday, excluding UK bank holidays. An eight-business-hour target may therefore continue into the following working day.

ITS broadband

Standard Care

The target is to restore a qualifying network fault by 23:59 on the next business day following acceptance of the fault by ITS.

Critical Care

Eligible ITS business services can include a six-clock-hour repair target operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the year.

When does the repair clock begin?

The stated repair time does not necessarily begin when the problem is first reported to VoiceHost.

Before a network fault can be submitted, we may need to complete diagnostics to eliminate problems involving the router, cabling, power supply, local network, Wi-Fi or customer equipment.

The supplier’s repair measurement normally begins when:

1. VoiceHost has completed the required diagnostics;
2. The fault has been submitted to the relevant supplier; and
3. The supplier has accepted it as a qualifying fault within its network.

Please provide diagnostic information, site-access details and an available contact as quickly as possible. Delays in receiving this information may delay fault acceptance or pause the repair clock.

Circumstances that can affect repair targets

Repair targets may be paused, adjusted or excluded where:

• Access to the premises cannot be obtained
• An agreed engineer appointment is missed
• The first available appointment is declined
• VoiceHost or the network supplier is waiting for information from the customer
• The fault is caused by customer equipment, internal wiring, power, Wi-Fi or the local network
• Testing does not identify a fault within the supplier’s network
• A chargeable engineering or Special Faults Investigation visit is required
• Damage has been caused by a third party
• Permissions, wayleaves, traffic management or specialist equipment are required
• Severe weather, safety restrictions or circumstances outside the supplier’s reasonable control prevent work
• The incident forms part of a major network outage
• Planned or emergency maintenance is taking place

The precise exclusions depend on the underlying network and the terms applying to the individual service.

Repair targets are not uptime guarantees

A broadband care level provides a target for repairing an accepted network fault. It does not guarantee that the connection will always be available or that every reported problem will be resolved within the stated period.

Where a supplier care level operates 24/7, this refers to the supplier’s repair measurement after it accepts a qualifying fault. It does not automatically provide a 24-hour telephone helpdesk unless this is expressly included in your VoiceHost service agreement.

Service credits are not automatic. Any entitlement to a credit will be governed by the applicable service agreement, eligibility requirements, claim procedure and financial limits.

Protecting business-critical connectivity

Businesses that cannot tolerate a broadband outage should not rely on a single access circuit, regardless of its care level.

VoiceHost can provide additional resilience through:

• A secondary broadband circuit using a different access network
• Automatic 4G or 5G failover
• Diverse connectivity from separate network operators
• Business-grade leased lines with stronger service commitments
• Managed routers providing automatic connection failover

Speak to our team and we will recommend an appropriate resilience design based on the operational impact of losing connectivity.

Important information

This page provides a general summary of typical broadband care levels. The care level shown on your VoiceHost order confirmation or service agreement takes precedence.

Network operators may change their products, working hours and service conditions. Availability of enhanced care is subject to the access network, location and product selected.