Broadband Vs. Fiber Optic Internet

When choosing the best business internet service for your company, it's important to start by evaluating your connectivity, performance, and security needs. Broadband and fiber optic internet are two of the most popular business internet solutions for companies of all industries and sizes. 

While broadband internet has long been a popular choice for high-speed, high-performance business internet connection, fiber optic internet has rapidly increased in popularity as more locations around the country are providing access to fiber optic connections. 

Both options have their specific strengths and advantages when it comes to serving as proficient business internet providers. However, depending on what you're looking to utilize your internet connection for, one service might be more beneficial to your enterprise than the other. 

Let's break down the pros and cons of broadband and fiber optic internet connections to better understand which will work best for your business's operational needs. 

Advantages of Broadband Internet 

Since its origins in the early 2000s, broadband internet has continuously served as a premier internet connection that essentially all but wiped out dial-up internet service since its inception. 

The basics of broadband internet essentially boil down to four components: 

• Offers users higher speeds of data transmission.

• It is utilized in four forms, including DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), cable, satellite, and fiber optics, with cable being the most popular form. 

• Grants access to higher quality internet services, such as video conferencing or cloud-computing capabilities that require larger amounts of data transmission.

• Broadband access is constant, as it doesn't require a phone line connection, and you don't need to reconnect whenever you use the internet. 

What's important to emphasize with a broadband connection is its flexibility. Business owners can choose the broadband internet service that best suits their connectivity and performance needs. 

Here are some other pros in favor of broadband internet to consider: 

Consistent Speeds

Broadband internet connections offer, on average, 100x faster speeds than a dial-up connection, ideal for businesses that often need to download, share, or collaborate on larger files. 

Dependability

Broadband internet is consistently more reliable than dial-up connections, meaning you'll rarely need to deal with connection issues or power outages. If you do, a simple restart or reboot is essentially all you need to reconnect. 

Cost-Effectiveness

Compared to fiber-optic cable internet, broadband internet is more affordable and flexible when it comes to pricing options, allowing business owners more customization when choosing which internet service plan is best for their company. 

Availability

Perhaps the biggest advantage broadband internet has offered fiber-optic cable is that fiber-optic cable isn't as widely available as broadband, meaning depending on where you work, you might not be able to have access to fiber-optic internet. 

Advantages of Fiber-Optic Internet 

What truly separates broadband internet from fiber-optic internet is value. There's no question that fiber-optic internet is faster, more reliable, and more secure than broadband. However, is it worth paying more for fiber-optic internet when it exceeds your company's connectivity and performance standards? That's what's important for your business to ultimately decide. 

Overall, fiber-optic internet is the best version of broadband internet currently available, utilizing fiber-optic cables composed of tiny optical glass and plastic fibers that transmit information at rocket speeds without having to depend on copper or metal wires. 

Essentially, you get what you pay for with fiber-optic internet, which means you'll reap all of the following benefits while paying more for a premium internet service.

Superior Speeds

Fiber-optic cables provide internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps (one gigabit per second), which is 10-20 times faster than most other cable-based internet services.

Dominant Dependability

Fiber-optic cables can easily host higher amounts of internet traffic and users, severely limiting any potential connectivity issues while also not being susceptible to electrical outages or no signals due to severe weather conditions. 

Exceptional Compatibility

Suppose your business needs to constantly share large files, video conference with clients, or collaborate worldwide. In that case, fiber-optic cables provide ultimate bandwidth performance to perform tasks such as streaming or sharing high-definition video, instant file sharing, or accessing cloud storage applications. 

Premium Security

Fiber-optic cables are the most protective broadband internet service available, providing your business with optimal security and protection against hackers or malware. 

Consistency

Whereas Broadband internet shares bandwidth between neighbors, Fiber-optic bandwidth is exclusive to the customer and does not share bandwidth amongst neighbors, which allows for more consistent bandwidth.

Broadband or Fiber-Optic: Which One is Better for You?

In our quick-paced digital world, you need to choose the right Internet to support your business, so here are just a few of our expert tips to help you make an informed decision. 

Do Local Research

Reviews are everything, and whether you're checking with connecting businesses or individuals' online experiences, they will be one of your best references to let you know which option will run more efficiently and perform the best based on your company's location.

Talk to Your ISP

You can also check with different ISPs to see what type of connection they offer and what speeds they can provide for your business.  

Reliability

Reliablity keeps customers happy and your company connected. While broadband is still a favorite option, both designs offer great connections, so understand how dependent you are on having a consistent and reliable connection before deciding. 

Bandwidth

If you are a company that holds a large number of online meetings, has regular video conferencing, and uploads and downloads large files, not having good bandwidth can be costly. Before you start researching, know how much bandwidth you need and make sure your choice reflects that. 

Security

Data breaches are at an all-time high, and as a business owner, this is the last thing you want to deal with. You need the highest level of security available, so when you're comparing, look at the statistics for the difference between broadband and fiber.

Pricing

From businesses to homeowners, finances are another big concern; you need your internet to work with your monthly budget. Broadband is still the least expensive of the two options, but companies are trying to scale it down to make fiber optic more affordable.

Contact Lighthouse Technology Solutions for Business Internet Solutions 

At the end of the day, you need a business internet provider that will offer you precisely what you need without paying for anything you don't. At Lighthouse Technology Solutions, we specialize in connecting Twin Cities and surrounding area businesses with premium business internet service that fulfills all their connectivity and performance needs. 

Contact us today to learn more about our business internet services, or call us at 612-345-9177 for immediate assistance.