You may be well-versed in the intricacies of the different types of internet connections you can have, or perhaps it has never crossed your mind. Either way, we are going to dig into the cost benefits of fiber internet and why it matters for your business. Fiber internet is ideal for various applications, including medical devices, the entertainment industry, powering the global internet, and telecommunications. Fiber is for you if you want the best, most reliable form of connection to the outside world.
What is Fiber Internet?
Fiber optic internet is the use of light pulses to transmit information. Invented in 1880 by Alexander Graham Bell, the first Photophone call using light was made from two buildings 700 feet apart. The Photophone is not the sophisticated transmission vehicle it is today, but the vision was there for what it could be. Fiber internet is in a class of its own regarding the amount of data it can transmit and the distances it can travel. For instance, the speed of light in a fiber-optic cable reaches speeds of 124,274 miles per second (200,000 kilometers per second).
How Does Fiber Internet Differ from Other Types of Internet Connections?
Fiber is unique because it’s made of glass or silica, which are abundant on Earth. DSL, dial-up, or cable use copper lines as their base, which is less efficient and more taxing to make. Fiber uses light to transmit data, voice, and video incredibly fast. Most people don’t use fiber for their homes, so it’s not at the top of their minds when looking for a business solution. That thinking is going to change today.
What Cost Benefits Are There with Fiber?
Fiber internet cost benefits can be as simple as money saved or more indirect, such as productivity improvements, a more reliable connection, and more. It’s important to note that how you use the internet will help determine the fiber benefits you directly. The cost benefits add up and are supremely important in businesses that need them.
Productivity Increases
Fiber internet benefits from a more stable form of connection. Due to it being laid into the ground or underwater—yes, there are massive fiber cables connecting the continents under the ocean—it is dramatically less susceptible to disturbances from natural disasters.
Plus, since fiber uses light instead of copper to transmit information, it is immune from electromagnetic interference, usually power disturbances caused by power lines or other forms of high electricity consumption. In turn, you have less downtime and more productivity, which means more work being completed for a better bottom line.
Flexibility and Scalability
Here’s something to consider: have you been at home and suddenly, the movie you are streaming for Friday night date night is having trouble playing, but you check your speed, and everything seems fine? Well, chances are you are using cable internet, and there are limits to the amount of data that can come into an area simultaneously. This means these limits will make entire neighborhoods unusable during high-traffic times. This example speaks volumes about fiber internet benefits because there are no speed caps or data throughput caps. You want to avoid these caps affecting your business.
Fiber optic internet technology can physically handle more than cable—a lot more. In fact, fiber optic internet can handle 65,000 times more information than cable. No matter what your business does, if it is a heavy user of data, both downloading and uploading, fiber is for you.
Speed Boosts
When discussing internet speeds, most people might not realize they are only discussing the download speed. According to Speedtest.Net, in March 2024, the average speeds in the US were 254.01 Mbps down and 31.37 Mbps up. The low-end speed for fiber will be at least 1GB, but typically more than that. For example, a three-hour-long 4K movie (20 GB) will take roughly 26 minutes to download with cable, and the same movie will take about two and a half minutes with fiber.
Here’s the kicker: a major benefit of fiber internet is its symmetrical speed, meaning the download and upload speeds are the same. If you upload large files frequently or use fiber for heavy video calling, you will experience latency with cable and uninterrupted bliss with fiber.
Fiber Internet is the Best Internet for Business Operations; PS Lightwave Has You Covered
Undoubtedly, fiber internet benefits your business from many different viewpoints. Fiber is the technology that runs the backbone of the internet, and technically speaking, without it, we would be in a world of hurt. It’s time to have PS Lightwave bring the power of fiber into your business. Contact PS Lightwave today to let us light up your future.
