What is Business Fibre Optic Internet?

Business fibre optic internet offers tremendous speed, but is the price worth it?

As you consider the best options for your business’ high-speed internet, fibre optic internet may be something worth exploring. Although this type of connection is one of the fastest and most reliable, it can cost more than some users are willing to spend. Our guide clarifies the differences between fibre optic internet and other types of web connectivity so that you can make an informed decision about which type and which best internet company is for your company’s needs.

What is fibre optic internet?

Fibre optic internet is a type of high-speed connection that uses specialty cables to deliver lightning-fast, fibre network redundancy, reliable broadband from the internet business service provider directly into your office or to your premises. It is widely considered the fastest internet option available, blazingly fast compared to other types of networks.

What is the technology behind fibre optic internet and how does it function?

Fibre optic cables use light to transmit data that has been converted from electrical signals. This signal – which is more efficient and less prone to interference than signals sent through copper lines or coaxial cables – travels along the glass core inside each cable. Fibre optic cables transmit data faster than other methods of transferring information over the internet.

Fibre optic cables are amazingly thin – thinner than a strand of human hair. Fibre optic cables have a plastic or glass covering called “cladding” that surrounds the core. The cladding around the fiber optic cables helps ensure that light signals sent down them don’t get lost. This reinforces their high speeds.

How is fibre optic installation done?

Fiber optic internet installation requires two distinct steps: Construction completed outside your business, and work conducted inside the building. Fibre optic cables can be placed along telephone poles or buried underground. Before your business can take advantage of fibre internet, this infrastructure must be in place.

Fibre optic cables are typically placed underground, but some may be strung above ground along telephone poles. Building infrastructure is the first step in connecting to fibre internet.

Before asking for installation, you should confirm whether your area has access to fibre-optic internet service. You can confirm this with us – AEBC Internet Corp. We may determine this information based on the address you provide.

Once we have established that your business can use fibre optic internet, the next step is to schedule installation. AEBC offers a dedicated fibre internet connection.

What is dedicated fibre internet connection?

A dedicated fibre optic connection is for your business use alone and no one else. The network is only used for your company’s business activities. This can guarantee a responsive network, sustained speeds, and gives you full control over which devices are using the network. To have a dedicated fiber optic connection, you must have: a path leading from the provider network to your router; and grounding equipment.

Businesses that rely heavily on cloud-based software, data analytics, streaming video – for example, and similar high-bandwidth activities will find a dedicated fibre connection to be most beneficial. It also provides the highest level of network security for companies that want it.

Once you’ve decided a dedicated fibre optic connection, the next step is setting up the connection. Optical fibre equipment must be kept away from heat, humidity and dust to avoid dust. AEBC will install the equipment, test that it works and then complete installation.

How fast is a fibre-optic internet connection?

Fibre optic internet connections are a popular choice among both businesses and home users. It is capable of delivering speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second (10 Gbps), although most fibre optic connections clock in at 1 Gbps—sometimes much less. The speed of a fiber optic connection can be limited by whether your connection is hardwired or via Wi-Fi, and other considerations. Businesses that use 1 Gbps or less for their high-speed internet transfers can still conduct other types of intensive tasks such as streaming video and relying on cloud-based software much faster than if they were to use DSL, cable or a standard landline connection.

Fibre optic has numerous benefits for business owners.

Fibre optic internet is a high-speed, reliable type of connection that many businesses are turning to. In addition to being faster than other high-speed options, here are some reasons you should consider fibre optic internet for your business:

With fiber optic internet, business users can stream video, transfer large files back and forth—and run other high-intensity tasks without impacting overall speed.
On a typical internet connection, files typically download at faster speeds than they upload. (FCC regulations require broadband service providers to offer customers download speeds of at least 25Mbps and upload speeds of no less than 3Mbps.
The architecture of fibre optic network is designed with upload speeds in mind. Streaming content, such as live video broadcasts to the Internet, requires a steady upload speed. Fibre optic networks provide internet subscribers with upload and download speeds that are equal or symmetrical to each other. (25/25Mbps, 75/75Mbps, 150/150Mbps)
Delivers speed without sacrificing performance. Speed and availability can be negatively affected if too many devices or programs are connected to the network. Fiber optic internet can keep up with fluctuations in bandwidth and still provide a constant, fast connection.
Latency is a measure of the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another. This time, in milliseconds determines how fast your connection to the internet is. Because fibre optic cables convey data more rapidly than other high-speed internet connections, they offer less to no latency.
Most buried underground fibre optic cables are unaffected by wind, storms or other natural disasters. This means that the internet is less likely to go down during a storm, giving your business and its employees more uptime.

What are the differences between fibre optic internet and other high-speed internet options?

As you analyze your business internet service options, it’s helpful to understand the various technologies and assess their advantages and disadvantages. Here, we discuss reasons why fibre optic internet is superior to other types of internet connections.

Business Fibre Optic Internet vs. Business Cable

Cable internet uses the same cables used in television to deliver internet service or information online. The cables used in television uses copper. The copper-core in these cables carries electricity to transmit data from the Internet Service Provider (ISP) to your business. Cable internet access is readily available: if your business already has a cable TV hookup, adding cable internet will generally be an easy process.

Cable internet connections are fast, capable of reaching speeds up to 1,000 Mbps. However, they pale in comparison with fiber optic internet’s high-speed potential—which can reach tens of thousands of Mbps. Cable Internet does not have the same download/upload speeds that fiber optic Internet has. It’s much faster than other connection types like DSL and dial-up, is still subject to more power outages because it runs through the cable network.

Business Fibre Optic Internet vs. Business Dial-up

Fibre optic network and dial-up connections provide two different ways of accessing the internet. While dial-up is connected to telephone lines, fibre optic internet uses dedicated cables.

Dial-up internet service was the first widespread way for businesses and homes to get online, but it’s also one of the slowest. Because of their technical limitations, dial-up modems cannot support connections that exceed 56 Kbps.

Dial-up internet has declined in popularity over the years and gradually replaced by fibre optic or other newer high-speed internet connections.

Business Fibre Optic Internet vs. Business DSL

DSL (Direct Subscriber Line) was revolutionary internet service when it debuted because: These lines enabled a user to use the business phone and internet at the same time. It is imperative for any business to be on the internet today – so much of our daily lives and business functions depend upon it.

Like dial-up, DSL and fibre optic cable differ primarily in terms of speed. DSL speeds can sometimes reach 100 Mbps, though more commonly they top out at 6 Mbps. Fiber optic internet is significantly faster—with download and upload speeds of 1 Gbps or higher possible.

If your workforce frequently downloads or streams content, it can be difficult to work with DSL. DSL connections may be slowed down by the simultaneous use of many devices connected to the same network.

DSL is typically less expensive than fibre internet. This is because business telephone systems are already in place, DSL can be installed fairly easily. Fibre optics are not readily available, because they generally require new cables to be laid in order for them to work.

If you’re running a business, does it make sense for your company to have fibre internet?

Fibre-optic internet can be a wise investment if your company depends on high speed business internet connections.

If your company or business frequently transfers large files, participates in videoconferences or relies on cloud-based software that requires the internet to operate, fiber-optic internet may be best for you.

However, this all depends on whether or not your business’s location can receive a fiber-optic internet connection.

Our vision at AEBC is to help Canadian entrepreneurs take full control of their business. We’d love to know how we can make this happen for you. If you are interested, please click below to start an inquiry: