Benefits of Fiber Internet for Businesses

A fast and stable Internet connection is essential for just about any modern business. This is especially true if you’re relying heavily on Internet-connected smart devices or frequently communicating via Internet video-conferencing tech.

Of all available Internet types, fiber-optic cable is the top tier, providing the fastest speeds and the most reliable Internet connection available.

Access to these high-speed and reliable connections can do a lot for any business that relies on an Internet connection. These are some of the most significant benefits of fiber Internet.

Speed

The most significant advantage of a fiber-optic connection is high speed. In most parts of the U.S., you have a few different options for your Internet connection — DSL, cable, satellite, and sometimes fiber.

Fiber (or fiber-optic) cable offers the fastest possible speeds for businesses — with some ISPs offering speeds between 1 and 10 gigabits per second with ultra-high-speed business plans. This is around 192 times faster than the average Internet speed in the U.S., which is 50.2 megabits per second (Mbps).

If you need a connection with speeds of 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) or higher, fiber is the best available option.

Better Latency

Boosting your Internet speed will also help you cut down on latency, or the time it takes to send information to the Internet and get an answer back.

This can be a major asset if your business relies on tech or devices that need a near-real- time connection — like IoT devices or videoconferencing.

For example, you may have a number of IoT devices in your office — like a smart assistant, smart thermostat, or smart lighting system. All of these devices need to connect to the Internet to function properly. Cutting down on latency can help improve their performance.

This is especially true for businesses that rely on industrial IoT technology for device monitoring and predictive maintenance purposes.

Industrial IoT sensors, like Internet-connected piezoelectric sensors that track pressure or engine knocking, will have a better chance of providing close-to-real-time data with fiber Internet. This can help ensure you have timely notice when a machine is behaving oddly or is on the verge of failure.

Better latency will also ensure your audio and video come through as clear as possible when videoconferencing. If you’ve struggled with dropped signals or low audio quality due to a poor Internet connection, fiber could be one solution.

Reliability

With better speeds comes better reliability. Fiber-optic cables can provide highly reliable Internet connections, especially compared to satellite Internet.

You won’t have to worry about how weather or cloud coverage may interfere with your use of the Internet, and you’ll also be less likely to struggle with intermittent outages and weak signal strength.

Fiber-optic cable is also quite robust and has a longer service life than other cable types, like twisted-pair telephony cables. This means there is a lower chance that your local cable will wear out and need to be replaced.

More Effective Cloud Communication

Many businesses have moved their on-site tools to the cloud to take advantage of the better processing power and access the cloud can offer.

This approach can provide some major benefits, but it will be less effective if you don’t have a fast Internet connection.

Fiber can help you take full advantage of cloud resources by enabling quick communication between your office devices and the cloud.

Future-Proofing

Technology tends to become more demanding over time. As access to high-speed Internet improves, developers of cloud applications may become less worried about demanding more bandwidth or transferring more data.

Adopting fiber Internet now is a good way to future-proof your business’s Internet service. Even if cloud computing demands faster speeds over time, you won’t have to worry as much about upgrading to an entirely new service or switching to a new Internet service provider.

What Fiber Internet Can Do for Your Business

Fiber Internet is one of the best investments a business can make. With fiber, you’ll gain access to better speeds, a more reliable connection, and lower latency — helping you stage online meetings, use cloud tools, and get the most out of your IoT devices.

Upgrading now can also help future-proof your business and prepare your office to handle more IoT devices or more resource-intensive cloud applications.