Summary
Are you tired of having connectivity and slow-speed internet issues?
There’s nothing more annoying when you have to meet a tight deadline but your internet is slowing you down. As we all know, when your internet is slow, so is your business!
If you’re experiencing slowdowns due to unreliable and inadequate internet, it’s time to consider the benefits of fiber internet speed.
When it comes to doing business your internet should not only be fast, but it needs to work when you and your employees need it most. And if your business relies on the internet to process transactions, a slow and intermittent internet makes you vulnerable to loss of profits and customer dissatisfaction.
Fortunately, there is fiber optic internet with its fast fiber technology.
Fiber optic internet is a data connection carried by a cable filled with thin glass or plastic fibers. Data travels through them as beams of light pulsed in a pattern.
Fiber optic Internet not only offers greater speed and bandwidth over longer distances but also enables businesses to improve upload and download speeds.
Fiber internet is the next generation of internet, providing individuals and businesses with total highspeed and stable internet access. This not only enables you to enjoy fast speed but also allows you to browse and download in a short period of time.
Fiber Optic Internet Speed: What You Should Know
As you know, the internet has become a basic need for our day-to-day work. Whether you are a student enrolled in a university or a working professional in the corporate world, you need to have an internet connection.
As availability and access continue to improve, more and more people are becoming aware of fiber optic internet. Despite being a relatively new technology in the industry, making the switch can be a smart long-term investment for both personal and business use.
Now that you are aware of the fiber internet speed, you should also know how this fast fiber technology works and what makes it stand out from the other internet technologies. Read our detailed guide on How fast is Fiber Internet and its Advantages in Local Communities.
In the USA, fiber internet service is available to businesses everywhere but is more limited to residential users but access to fiber services is improving. According to M-Lab fiber internet speed can reach up to 1 Gigabit per second which is much faster than the normal broadband internet such as cable. For instance, you can download large files in no time and up to 20 times faster with a Gigabit fiber connection.
The following are some reasons why you should invest in getting a fiber internet installation, regardless of the purpose of use:
- Backup your entire hard drive to the cloud, in a matter of minutes
- Fiber internet speed is faster than average broadband speeds in the USA.
- You can upload and download more and faster
- Fiber internet is more reliable than copper cables or Wifi.
- Video conference calling without interruption.
Fiber Optic vs Cable vs DSL
As you know, it is all about speed as it only saves your precious time but also allows you to download files in no time. Here, you can see how the different internet technologies perform when it comes to speed.
Upload speed
Upload speed refers to the rate that online data is transferred from your computer to the Internet. Having a good upload speed is important for businesses because it allows you to perform activities such as high-quality video conferencing and faster backups.
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) has an upload speed of 1-10 Mbps while cable has an upload speed of 5-50 Mbps. On the other hand, fiber internet speed offers 250-1000 Mbps of quality upload speed, 20 times faster than cable.
Download speed
Download speed refers to the rate in which digital data is transferred from the Internet to your computer. Having an internet connection with a high download speed not only allows your business to download files quickly but allows you to communicate with your customers effectively.
DSL has a download speed of 5-35 Mbps while cable has a download speed of 10-500 Mbps. On the other hand, fiber optic internet speed offers 250-1000 Mbps of quality upload speed, 20 times faster than cable.
Moreover, fiber internet compared to DSL or cable does not slow down no matter how far you are from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). If the fiber reaches you, your fiber internet speed will be very close to advertised speeds, unlike cable or DSL which vary considerably.
How does fiber-optic internet work?
There is no doubt that fiber optic internet is a game-changer in the internet industry. Through this technology, large amounts of data can be transferred rapidly and efficiently rather than slowly through other less reliable connections such as cable and DSL.
Currently, fiber optic internet is the fastest and most reliable internet service available. Considering business communications, fiber optic internet can increase productivity while reducing latency.
Generally, fiber service offers unlimited data usage, faster cloud access, high-speed symmetric connectivity, and reliability. For those reasons, fiber optic internet is often a better solution, when it is available.
You must be wondering how fiber optic internet works and how it provides such total highspeed.
Well, fiber internet works by transferring data across cables made of optical fibers. Optical fibers are flexible and transparent fibers made up of two parts:
- Core which is made of glass
- Cladding which is made of thicker glass or plastic
Data is transmitted by making the core and cladding work simultaneously. Light moves down the fibers without escaping. When the light hits the glass core in the fiber, it reflects and refracts. Since the cladding is made out of thick glass or plastic, it keeps it caged in the core due to its high optical density.
As a result, data is carried from one point to another via light pulses that can travel up to 60 miles without degradation. Once it reaches its destination, an optical network terminal (ONT), converts light pulses into data carried through Ethernet, which connects your devices to the internet.
Unlike traditional copper lines or coaxial cables, fiber optic technology is designed to transmit across great distances. In addition, coaxial cables lose efficiency when they have to travel long distances, which diminishes its reliability.
As the Internet has became widespread, fiber lines have been connecting across continents allowing for instantaneous communication worldwide.
Types of fiber optic internet
Fiber optic internet is one of the best internet options businesses can have. Not only does this technology save time, but it allows you to browse seamlessly, connect via conference calls without interruption and upload data at the speed of light.
Depending on the location of your home base or headquarters, you may have access to three different types of fiber connection:
- Fiber to the neighborhood (FTTN): This connection type uses cables that transfer data to a central hub. When near the destination, data transfer occurs over pure fiber optic technology.
- Fiber to the curb (FTTC): This type of connection brings increased bandwidth and consistent speeds. However, it still requires a DSL line, cable wires, or fixed wireless connection for the rest of the journey into the destination.
- Fiber to the home (FTTH): Fiber to the home brings fiber cables all the way to the hub, making the network 100% fiber optic. This connection provides the best bandwidth, speeds, and consistency as it reaches your business, without being transferred to other cables
5 Advantages of Fiber Optic Internet Connections
Utilizing fiber optic technology not only allows businesses to grow exponentially but also helps businesses provide better services to their customers and employees.
Below are several advantages of using fiber optic internet connections that businesses can take advantage of when they opt for fiber internet installation:
Speed
This is what fiber optic internet is best known for. Fiber internet speed can provide up to1 Gbps, which is 10 to 20 times the speed of cables. For businesses, speed is of the utmost importance as businesses need to maximize their productivity and employee performance.
Fiber optic service can provide either asymmetric or symmetric service depending on your needs and budget. Symmetric service means that the fiber internet speed is the same for uploading and downloading. With this technology, employees can share files from their computer and download files onto their computer at the same speed, thus, making it easier to share large amounts of data.
Symmetric speed enables users to accommodate heavy demands on downloads and uploads simultaneously via their data connection, no matter the number of users connected, distance, or weather conditions.
Reliability
Reliability is what sets fiber optic internet apart from DSL and cable. Fiber optics can handle more users and more data at consistently higher speeds.
Imagine how frustrating it would be if you are having an international video conference and your internet cuts out and becomes intermittant, interfering with your work and meeting. Not only would that distract you and your employees, but also affect the other others as they would have to wait for your internet connection to become stable.
Fiber optic internet has enough speed and stability to stream videos. It can manage many users and a high amount of data at consistently high speeds. Furthermore, as it does not rely on electric power, it can still send signals in case there is a power outage but your router would still need electricity such as a battery backup.
FastTrack’s redundant fiber optic network ensures a constant, robust internet connection for cloud-based computing tools and for maximum business productivity and performance. As we are virtually always on, providing 99.99% uptime, we provide Service Level Agreements.
Scalability
With this technology, you can easily add high-speed internet capacity quickly and easily as your internet speed requirements change.
Additionally, there is ample bandwidth available with room to grow. FastTrack’s premium business-grade fiber optic internet assures larger enterprises of symmetrical high-speed internet connections all the time.
We also have an internet solution for smaller organizations and retail operations that experience slow connection speeds during times of unanticipated heavy traffic, such as the end of the business day, during tax season or the holiday shopping season.
Our basic business-grade fiber optic internet gives you plenty of baseline capacity and bursts above the minimum bandwidth when you need it most.
Convenience
Fiber optic technology is extremely convenient for businesses. Not only is it affordable where you own and operate the fiber optic backbone, but also its high quality helps the fiber optic lines deliver fast and clear transmission.
Moreover, with FastTrack, we offer customized fiber optic solutions to meet your challenges and provide easy installation where you will not experience any disruption in your day-to-day business during the switch to our fiber optic network.
Safety
With fiber optic technology, transmissions are safely confined in their cables, so you can be assured that they will not be harmful to your health.
Fiber optic service provides more than speed. It has improved public safety through a more robust national network. A better and more secure internet connection gives reliable access to emergency services. It provides a more reliable notification in times of disaster and stronger national security.
Financial institutions and medical providers can upload compliance data over the internet quickly and securely at any time of the day or night.
How do I check my Internet Speed?
When you sign up or purchase an internet service, you are usually paying for the price of the speed of your internet. The faster your internet speed, the more you have to pay. Please add the link to the new internet speed check on the website
Here are a few reasons why internet speed is important:
Download Access is Unlimited
Downloading large files, be it videos or data, can be difficult if your internet is slow. Not only will it extend your downloading time, but it reduces your productivity because of the increased wait time.
If you have a fast internet connection, you can maximize your productivity and enjoy fast downloading speed by getting more done in a short period of time.
Ease of Video Call/Conference
Video conferencing is becoming increasingly necessary in businesses as it serves as a helpful method for employees to interact with their customers and colleagues across the world.
However, this method requires a fast and reliable internet connection which should reduce crosstalk and connectivity disturbances.
Now that you know the importance of internet speed, you may be wondering, “how can I test my fiber internet speed”
The following steps can help you test your own internet speed online:
- Connect your computer to your router using an Ethernet cable.
- Open your web browser.
- Navigate to https://fasttrack.speedtestcustom.com/
- Tap “Go.”
Speedtest.net will show you your upload and download speeds. Of note, internet speed can fluctuate due to various factors, such as number of connected devices, so conducting multiple tests can help you get an average internet speed.
FastTrack can design an internet calling solution tailored to the unique needs of your business, no matter its size or industry. You can even call your international foreign clients with an international calling plan that is less than traditional plans.
Why Local Businesses and Communities Should Choose Fiber Internet
Fiber internet is a game-changer in the corporate world as well as the internet industry. Not only has it revolutionized the industry with its fiber optic internet speed, but also with its stability and connectivity.
It allows businesses to send and receive large files over the internet and allows them to have video calls without any disruptions. Although it is costlier than cables and DSL, fiber internet speed is worth the price as it offers value for money. FastTrack is one of the top internet providers in Durango and nearby cities bringing high speed internet and reliable connectivity.