Top 10 Advantages of Fiber Internet for Your Business

Internet service via fiber optic cable is the fastest and most robust communications technology available, and its availability is growing fast. Businesses that rely on cloud storage, e-commerce, multiple users in multiple locations, and more can count on fiber to feed their appetite for bandwidth and speed while enjoying previously unattainable levels of reliability and security.

Here are 10 reasons why.

• Fiber is just plain faster. A lot faster.

Both small and large businesses alike can see big results from up to 1 gigabyte per second (Gbps) capabilities over fiber. Compare that to the 10 to 20 megabits per second (Mbps) you may get from standard copper cable: even 500 Mbps service is up to 25 times faster. Make that up to 50 times faster at 1 Gbps.

A fiber cable connection at any speed can handle multiple users and more data while providing superior performance. For example, a two-hour training video that would take seven minutes to download via traditional cable takes 40 seconds at 1 Gbps.

• It’s the same speed coming and going

Downloading is usually faster than uploading for one simple reason: Internet service providers (ISPs) provide more bandwidth for downloads because customers do that more than they upload. Think of streaming a TV show (downloading) versus posting a video on YouTube. They’re trying to be strategic with how they allocate the limited bandwidth available. However, that’s not an issue with fiber optic cable.

Fiber cable’s greater speed and bandwidth allow for the same speed coming and going. With faster upload speeds over fiber, you’ll have a better experience with conference calls, file sharing, and more.

• No throttling down

Relying on copper cable doesn’t always let you keep the petal to the metal. ISPs often find it necessary to throttle service to business and residential customers over copper cable at peak times due to traffic.

That’s a significant slowdown that fiber optic-based service doesn’t require. With fiber, you are getting Internet directly to the home without outside interference from your neighbors.  When you choose fiber for your business, you can rest assured you’ll have high-speed Internet whenever you need it.

• Greater bandwidth means doing more at once

Bandwidth and speed are often used in the same breath, but they’re not the same thing. Bandwidth is the peak amount of data that can be transferred per second, while speed is how fast the data is moving per second.

Simple physics dictate why fiber provides more bandwidth as well as speed than copper. Light pulses travel faster than electrical pulses so fiber can handle more data at higher speeds. That translates to your business being able to easily accommodate multiple users even if they’re using bandwidth-hogging applications like transferring massive files or videoconferencing.

• Greater reliability 

Providing reliable service to customers is critical to the success of any business. Near total reliance on the Internet for at least some of the core functions of most businesses makes Internet reliability equally critical.

Optic fiber cable service is more reliable than copper cable for multiple reasons, including its ability to hold signal strength much better over long distances and its resistance to outside signal interference.  This means fiber-optic cable is not as susceptible to the effects of weather and time. Where one may experience outages due to heavy weather or other interferences, fiber is much better at handling this problem.

• Greater security

Fiber Internet provides greater security over fixed wireless or cable Internet connections because it is more reliable and secure. The fiber optic cables used for fiber Internet are resistant to corrosion, making the connection much more dependable than other forms of Internet access. Fiber Internet is generally considered to be more secure than wireless options due to the speed at which data travels through.  With its incredible speed, this makes it much more difficult for hackers to intercept data signals.

• Avoiding power surges

Lightning is always a threat to property and people. After all, power surges have been frying computer equipment ever since we’ve had computers. Fiber optic cables can help mitigate that threat.

Fiber cables simply don’t propagate an electrical charge like copper cables. They are often installed with metal cores as a kind of armor, so they do require traditional grounding, but they’re lightning-resistant material makes them not as prone to damage—protecting your connection and your equipment!

• Long-term benefits of water and temperature resistance

Cable lines serving industrial, warehouse, and outdoor applications in general can be affected by the weather in much slower but equally damaging ways. After all, water can corrode copper, and temperature changes can cause contraction and expansion over time.

Fiber optic cables don’t corrode, since they’re made of glass, not metal. They don’t react to temperature changes like copper cables do, either. That’s another reason they’re superior for outdoor and long-distance applications.

• No crosstalk from electromagnetic interference (EMI)

You—and your IT folks—will appreciate this. Fiber cables don’t cause electronic magnetic interference (EMI), a condition that can cause hiccups in data transmission and overall performance when electronic cables are bunched around each other.

Improperly installed and maintained copper lines can be a source of that crosstalk between cables, but fiber optic lines just keep it to themselves. That’s because they’re carrying light rather than electricity. This contributes to fiber being able to provide consistent high-speed Internet.

• Investment in the future 

At AireBeam, we invest in fiber optic cable because it’s what modern businesses like yours need and deserve now and into the future. Fiber provides you with better service now, while also holding the capacity to continually increase your bandwidth. As technology in your industry expands and demands more from your Internet connection, you can trust us to keep you on the cutting-edge for years to come.

To learn more about our fiber internet for your business, contact us at 520-510-0909. We’re proud to keep the state of Arizona’s homes and businesses connected! Order service today!