Does your business have the fast, reliable internet service it needs to communicate internally, serve customers and stay ahead of the competition? If you’re still using cable or DSL, then probably not. Fiber optic internet delivers superior internet speed and far greater reliability, making it a “must-have,” especially for start-ups and smaller businesses that need to punch above their weight.  In this article, you’ll learn about the advantages of fiber for business internet connectivity. In today’s highly competitive business environment, fiber internet can streamline your company’s communication while boosting efficiency and productivity.   

What is Fiber Internet and How Does it Work?

Fiber optic internet, or fiber internet, is a broadband internet connection with speeds as high as 5 Gbps, which can support everything from HD video conferencing and cloud-based file-sharing to web server hosting, eCommerce sites, internal networks, and other high-traffic and high-bandwidth uses.   Fiber optic internet technology uses fiber-optic cables that transmit information as light instead of electricity. Optical fibers, thin glass strands approximately the size of a human strand of hair with a diameter of just 125 microns, are bundled into cables. These fiber-optic cables can transport data at approximately 70% of the speed of light with immunity to weather conditions and electrical interference. Once the transported pulses of light reach their destination, they’re converted back to electrical signals used by your devices.     By transmitting light rather than electrical signals using very thin glass strands, as opposed to copper phone lines for DSL (digital subscriber line) or copper cables, fiber internet is faster and more reliable.   

Why is Fiber Internet Better Than Other Types of Internet Connections?

Fiber internet offers several advantages over other types of internet like satellite, coaxial cable, and DSL. 

• Faster Speeds and Greater Bandwidth 

• Improved Reliability  

• More Robust Security 

• Symmetrical Download and Upload Speeds 

• No Speed “Throttling” at Peak Times 

• Reduced Latency and Better Quality Signal 

• Flexible and Scalable 

• Supports Multiple Simultaneous Devices 

• Cost Savings Over Time 

Additionally, fiber optic internet does not have the interference issues that copper cable presents. Fiber signals will not drop out or degrade due to the electromagnetic interference that can be caused by nearby machinery. This is an important consideration, especially if your company’s communications equipment shares space with other organizations.  

Top Benefits of a Fiber Internet Connection for Business

The improved speed and increased bandwidth, security, scalability, and reliability make fiber optic internet the best choice for businesses and remote workers signing in from home. There are many advantages to using this robust connectivity. 

Increased Productivity

If you’re a small business owner or involved in a start-up company, you’ll know how valuable a strong, reliable internet connection is for your team’s productivity. Fiber internet enables smoother communication between team members internally, as well as with vendors, investors, and customers. With a fiber connection, remote workers accessing the company’s internal server will be able to work more seamlessly with in-house co-workers. 

Greater Efficiency

The difference in speeds between DSL, cable and fiber may not seem like a big deal—until you try to download an hour-long Zoom video conference from the cloud or upload a high-definition video demonstration of your company’s latest product offering. Consider that the file size of a one-hour group Zoom video call can range from 800MB to 2.4GB. Fiber internet speed is approximately 20 times faster than cable and 80 times faster than DSL—this means seconds to download that file rather than minutes. When uploading video and other large files to the cloud or a remote server, you’ll notice a more dramatic difference, since both cable and DSL have far slower upload speeds, while fiber upload and download speeds are the same.  

Smoother Video Conferencing

If you’ve ever had an important client Zoom meeting “freeze up” suddenly, you’ll understand the benefits of fiber optic internet, with its low latency and greater bandwidth. You’ll see far fewer data interruptions and less network lag for your company’s online conferencing. 

Advanced Applications

Fiber is the most flexible and scalable internet solution. Your organization will be able to quickly get on board with the most advanced applications, such as audio and video editing and streaming, Voice-over-IP (VoIP), data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots. And you’ll be ready for whatever’s next. 

Seamless and Fast Web Applications and Cloud Computing

Does your company use cloud-based financial applications, customer relationship management, or a human resource management portal? Or maybe you need to regularly access a vendor’s online platform or perform bandwidth-intensive data analytics. If so, a fast, reliable fiber internet connection streamlines your daily accounting, HR, and other business tasks.  

Reliable Web Hosting

With fiber optic internet service, your company can have its own web server, either as an internal network for employees or as an e-commerce site with a back-end management portal. Give your team the power they need to collaborate effectively—and provide your customers with the convenience of online shopping for your products and services. 

Fiber Internet Frequently Asked Questions

You’ll see by now that there are many reasons to use a fiber internet connection for your business. But you may still have some questions. Is fiber available in your location? Are there any special requirements for installation? How easy is it to upgrade from DSL or cable internet? Here are some answers. 

Is fiber optic internet available in my area? How can I check its availability? 

Fiber optic internet availability depends on your location. To see if the power of fiber is available for your business, contact a fiber internet expert at WOW! Business. 

Are there any specific considerations or requirements for installing fiber optic internet in my home or office?

You’ll need access to a fiber network in your area and special equipment to bring it into your place of business. This includes an outside connection, an optical network terminal (ONT), and a fiber-ready router. 

Can I upgrade to fiber optic internet if I already have a different type of internet connection?

If your company is in a fiber-ready locale, you can easily upgrade from cable or DSL to fiber. If the fiber line needs to be run from the street to your facility, this may take about a week. 

Choose WOW! for High-Performance Fiber Internet 

WOW! Business provides organizations with custom-designed high-speed fiber internet connections and other services to give you the bandwidth your business requires to succeed. We offer flexible plans ranging from 300Mbps up to 5Gbps, so it’s easy to scale as your needs change. Whether you need to improve company communications, increase your bandwidth to support advanced apps, move key business operations to the cloud to reduce costs or expand your network to support new team members, we can help you to achieve your goals. 

Other services we can offer your organization include: 

• Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) – with speeds up to 10Gbps. 

• Fiber Flex shared service – for top quality at a lower cost. 

• Static IPs – to access company servers by VPN, provide clients with FTP access, allow staff to work remotely and share data with global branches. 

• Hosted VoIP – for a fully–featured cloud-based phone system.   

• Ethernet Transport – for 99.9% uptime and secure, scalable solutions. 

• Data Center and Colocation – for a world-class operating environment and carrier flexibility, with best-in-class technology and architecture. 

Our fiber plans for businesses feature exceptional network reliability, whole-business Wifi, virtual backup and storage, and 24/7 U.S.-based customer support.  

To explore the possibilities of fiber-enabled high-speed internet for your organization, contact WOW! Business today.