For businesses, fiber internet has emerged as the industry standard for quick, high-quality data transfer. Although fiber-optic internet is still in its infancy compared to other forms of connectivity, there are definite benefits.
What makes fiber-optic internet speed different from cable internet speed? Is it more costly? How can we obtain fiber-optic internet if it is as revolutionary as they claim?
Gaming, video conferencing, and streaming online aren’t the only uses for fiber-optic internet at home. The advantages of fiber extend to your startup firm as well. For instance, Century internet deals have one of the best fiber-optic connections in the U.S., for both household and corporate use.
In this article, we will be sharing with you the key advantages of fiber-optic internet for your small business.
What Exactly is Fiber-Optic Internet?
Fiber-optic internet uses cables with tiny glass or plastic fibers to carry data connections. Through these, data is transmitted as a pattern of pulsed light beams. At 1 Gbps, fiber-optic internet speeds are around 20 times faster than those of traditional cable.
Why is cable internet via fiber so much superior to regular cable internet? Because there isn’t any copper wire to clog the machinery. Signals from cable internet travel along metal cables.
The signal is weakened and interference is picked up when the metal heats up. That explains why fiber-optic internet is faster and more streamlined than cable and DSL.
Greater Speeds
Higher bandwidth also means faster performance. The incredible speed that fiber optics offers can’t be matched by copper internet, especially when uploading. The majority of the time, download speeds are faster than upload speeds since you require them more frequently. Download speeds are frequently 10 times faster than upload rates.
That said, fiber optics is capable of supplying symmetrical speeds, which only makes its upload and download rates the same. Thanks to faster speeds, you won’t have to wait as long for important data to get to you.
This is especially essential given the rise in video conferencing, as you don’t want to risk missing important information if the video pauses at the worst possible time due to slow upload speeds.
Increased Signal Strength
Signal loss, especially when spanning long distances, is one phrase that is frequently linked with the internet negatively. Officially referred to as “attenuation,” this signal weakening results from the signal’s slowing down on the way to your computer.
This is a rather common issue with copper internet connections, and it means the data you receive may be distorted or incomplete by the time it reaches you. Data degrades as it travels down copper to the point where it requires periodic boosting to traverse even a short distance.
There are no such issues with fiber optics. The signal sent by fiber retains full strength for more than 100 miles without help, resulting in improved data integrity.
Lower Latency
Lower latency is an intrinsic characteristic of fiber optics, which experiences more continuous signal transmission than copper. This results in higher speeds, higher bandwidth, and stronger signals.
To put it simply, latency is the time it takes for a signal to leave your computer, travel to the server, and then return to it. The higher the speed, the less delay, and the cleaner the data is when it’s coming and exiting.
Cost-Effective
Contrary to common myth, DSL and traditional copper cable actually cost more per megabit than fiber-optic internet access.
That wasn’t always the case, particularly when fiber was still a relatively new technology and hence pricey, but these days fiber is so widely used that prices are declining. Furthermore, the cost per megabit per second for copper might be nearly 10 times higher than for fiber due to the greater capacity of fiber over copper.
The other cost-saving benefit of quicker connectivity for upload and download is higher productivity and decreased wait times.
Improved Cloud Access
Do you use a cloud server to store your company’s data? You should do this to prevent total loss in the event that your internal server or computer crashes. But retrieving data from the cloud must be just as quick as doing so from your hard drive.
The poor upload and download speeds experienced when downloading and saving data from a cloud server are common complaints about traditional copper internet. By reducing lag with faster fiber optics, you can access files more quickly.
Increasing Productivity
Organizations are increasingly dependent on collaboration technologies to connect and coordinate a distributed hybridization workforce. One of the most significant workplace stories of the past two years is videoconferencing. It uses a lot more bandwidth than that.
Upload speeds are necessary for the distribution of a user’s video, words, and images to an audience. Traditional broadband was not designed with this in mind. These more resource-intensive services, like videoconferencing, may coexist on the same network with other tools like VoIP, instant messaging, and other collaboration services, thanks to fiber.
Exceptionally Reliable Service
One of the most significant advantages of fiber over other internet media, such as copper cable and DSL, is its unrivaled reliability. Fiber-optic connections are less prone to weather-related problems like lightning and severe temperatures than other types of connections.
Additionally, because fiber is non-metallic and carries its signal by light pulses rather than electricity, it is less likely to be negatively impacted by electronic interference or static which can cause hitches in copper transmission.
Final Thoughts
You can still gain from moving to a 100% fiber-optic internet service provider even if you don’t own an IT company. Fiber is the fastest method to keep up with everyone and everything, whether you manage a one-person business or have numerous staff.
