In the past, we used the internet to send sound-based signals via a telephone cable. While many people now use Wi-Fi, this is still one of the world’s most predominant broadband connection types. Then, a few years back, someone came up with the idea of using optics to transfer data via light signals. This is the so-called fiber internet.
Fiber internet is a lot quicker than its traditional counterpart. This is only fitting because light travels much faster than sound. On average, fiber optic internet can reach speeds that are twice as fast as the fastest cable internet.
There are only four reasons why everyone hasn’t switched to enterprise fiber internet.
- The technology is still relatively new, and a lot of people (especially those less tech-savvy or those of older generations) don’t understand it well enough to consider a switch.
- People are slaves to their habits and see switching as too much hassle. Let’s be honest; the way that most people use the internet, speed is not that high of a priority.
- Third, we’ve already mentioned that the technology is new, which means that it’s not available everywhere. Phone infrastructure, on the other hand, is available in all areas.
- Due to these reasons, fiber internet is slightly more expensive, which is why people who don’t upload long content, play video games competitively, or do anything so demanding to find the bump in price to be unjustifiable.
However, there’s one more thing to consider. Residential fiber broadband and enterprise fiber internet are not the same things. Now that we have you even more confused, here’s what’s enterprise fiber internet and why (and how) you should use it.
- Fiber internet basics
Before we dive deeper into the differences between standard fiber internet and enterprise fiber internet, we need to get a few technical questions out of the way.
The light pulsates through the cable made of glass and plastic. These pulses carry binary information, which is the form that the majority of the internet is made of. The table itself consists of the core, the cladding, and the buffer. The design is simple, but they take a bit more effort to make. This is why setting up this kind of infrastructure everywhere is still not feasible. Still, as the demand increases, this is bound to change.
- Who uses fiber internet?
Fiber internet is amazing for competitive gamers, content creators, and anyone who values upload and connection speed above all else. Still, our today’s topic, enterprise fiber internet, is even more potent, and there’s an extra incentive for the majority of enterprises that have this type of broadband
The biggest problem with fiber internet is that it’s not available everywhere. So, other than looking at local schools and parks, you may also check ISP coverage in the area when planning a move.
- It comes with an SLA
Service level agreement is one of the most important things for an enterprise. It guarantees that you’ll get reliable and consistent connectivity. As a business, the availability of an internet connection directly determines your ability to work. If these conditions are not met, you’ll get the agreed-upon compensation. This will somewhat make up for your losses (in theory). In practice, it will caution your provider to be extra careful not to back down on their promise. For most businesses, the fear of paying compensation is a stronger incentive than any ethical principle.
- Enterprise bandwidth is always considerably faster
Enterprise bandwidth plans are always considerably faster because, as an enterprise, you’re expected to have a much greater number of users than usual. Just imagine how many devices you can cram into the office space, not to mention the number of wireless devices that will leech connection off your connection speed. You need all these devices to run simultaneously without any hiccups.
More importantly, even if it feels that a standard fiber internet is fast enough after all, you’ve already worked with cable internet, so fiber (of any kind) should be an improvement, right? Sure, provided that you don’t plan to upscale your enterprise any further. Remember that your enterprise will grow, and even business plans can be upgraded. So, research what packages are there and what it would take to switch to a better package.
When planning, it’s always better to pick a scalable option, so you don’t have to adjust to a new style.
- Dedicated server support
Internet providers understand that enterprises have a much higher need for technical assistance than their regular customers. For them, acceptable uptime is 99.99% and nothing lower than that. If there’s a problem, it needs to be resolved immediately. Sure, even general plans get decent customer support, but decent is not good enough for someone who does this for a living. Enterprise fiber internet gives you access to dedicated account managers, faster response times for troubleshooting, and more.
- Prioritization
Now, let’s talk about a fictional futuristic scenario where everyone in your neighborhood uses fiber internet simultaneously, and they use it at full capacity. Today, such a thing is impossible to imagine, but please indulge us for a second. In this scenario, internet providers prioritize those on enterprise plans. This helps you maintain more consistent performance and give you a contingency plan.
- Cost
To avoid glorifying enterprise internet too much, there are some downsides. As we’ve listed, they’re more powerful, you get better customer support, and you’re a priority in case of a shortage. The downside is the fact that you’ll have to pay more for all of these extra services. Remember that the cost is not unreasonable or unjustifiable proportionally when you compare all you gain. For a small enterprise, the outright cost is all that matters.
Wrap up
In the end, fiber Internet is the future. The only reason it hasn’t already replaced cable internet is that there’s no infrastructure. As the demand for it spreads, setting up the infrastructure will become more financially viable for ISPs across the globe. Still, those with access to it (their area is already covered) should already consider it. The extra privileges are worth it, and scalability is good enough justification on its own.
