Internet connectivity over fiber-optic networks has become the gold standard for fast, high-quality data transmission for businesses. The relatively new nature of this technology can leave some hesitant to invest in it for their business.

Fiber relies on light instead of electricity to transmit data, which facilitates much faster Internet connections that are capable of handling higher bandwidth. According to the FCC, fiber providers consistently offer 117% of advertised speed, even during times of peak demand.

Business Advantages of Fiber Optic Internet

While most business decision-makers are aware of the speed benefits of fiber, other advantages are less commonly understood. Spending on a newer technology can feel risky, especially for organizations who rely heavily on their Internet connectivity for customer communications, productivity, and collaboration.

In this article, you’ll learn a bit more about the various ways fiber-optic Internet compares to standard copper cable, including bandwidth potential, speed, reliability, among other factors.

Bandwidth

Investing in fiber-optic internet can significantly increase your bandwidth potential. Copper wire infrastructure and TDM technology are limited in nature. Because it was originally designed for transmitting voice calls only, the demand for bandwidth wasn’t high. For instance, T-1 can only carry 1.5 Mbps of throughput. And because of how electrical signalling works, many types of connections over copper are limited by distance.

Ethernet over Copper service (EoC) is typically not available if the circuit is longer than 15,000 feet. For organisations considering shifting their voice communications to Voice-Over-IP (VoIP), having your bandwidth delivered over fiber can be an indispensable asset.

Security

In an era of increased attention towards cyber security, fiber-optic internet is touted as a cost-effective way of instantly increasing your Internet security. Intercepting copper cable can be performed by connecting taps to a line to pick up the electronic signals.

Putting a tap on a fiber-optic internet cable to intercept data transmissions is incredibly difficult. It’s also easy to quickly identify compromised cables, which visibly emit light from transmissions.

Reliability

There are a number of factors that can cause outages when an organisation is reliant on copper cable-based internet. Temperature fluctuations, severe weather conditions, and moisture can all cause a loss of connectivity. Old or worn copper cable can even present a fire hazard, due to the fact it carries an electric current. Additional reliability concerns associated with copper include risks of interference from electronic or radio signals. Additionally, copper wires are accessed in the building by telephone company personnel and sometimes they can make mistakes and fiddle with the wrong wires. Also, copper wires all go back to the telephone company Central Office where disconnections can happen. Fiber is typically independent of the phone company, their equipment and their termination points.