Fiber Internet Overview
Info
A fiber optic Internet circuit is the superior choice of Internet connection for business.
Internet and data can be delivered to a business by several different kinds of telecom circuits. They are:
- Fiber Optic
- DOCSIS Cable Modem
- DSL
- T1/DS1 - becoming obsolete and omitted from table below
A fiber optic circuit will outperform cable modems and DSL circuits in every metric - speed, consistency, latency, reliability, and elegance of configuration and setup.
| Metric | Fiber Optic | DOCSIS Cable Modem | DSL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandwidth | Effectively unlimited upstream and downstream | Fast downstream, limited upstream | Distance limited downstream, no fast downstream, poor upstream |
| Shared vs Dedicated | Dedicated - not shared with others in the geography | Shared - performance varies based on behavior of other customers | Dedicated - not shared with others in the geography |
| Latency | Low Latency - sub 10ms | Higher Latency - 30ms - 100ms | Higher Latency - 30ms - 100ms |
| Reliability / Uptime | Strong SLA - almost never fails, immediate telco repair response | No SLA - best effort repairs | No SLA - best effort repairs |
| Ease of Configuration | Best - zero telco equipment configuration | Bad - cable modems have multiple modes, require power cycles, lengthy negotiation | Worst - login credentials required - PPPoE protocol at OSI Model Layer 4 |
The tradeoff is that fiber optic will cost more than the other classes of circuits. But if an Internet outage that could last for hours or days is something that your business operations cannot tolerate, then an enterprise class fiber optic Internet circuit is the only viable option.
Bitstream is a channel partner with all major telco providers of fiber optic Internet circuits, and we manage the entire process from end to end. At no charge, we will perform an analysis of your bandwidth requirements, prepare quotes and all paperwork, manage the provisioning process, and be there in person for circuit activation when it's time for go-live.
Ready to get started?
Contact us to have fiber quotes prepared for your business.