Fibre means more than just faster speeds

Fibre internet is much faster than its copper equivalent. You probably know this already, but what you might not know is just how much faster it is.

While the very fastest speeds on copper connections hover around 20Mbps (download), the quickest fibre lines can send data hurtling around the internet at speeds of up to 1Gbps and above.

To be fair, not many small businesses need these ‘ultrafast’ speeds right now, and not all of them could access full fibre internet even if they did. The rollout of full fibre continues apace, but it’s a long way from completion.

Instead, most small businesses now rely on a hybrid solution that mixes the two technologies. With Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC), data travels from the internet all the way to the street cabinet nearest your premises, and hops onto copper for the last part of the journey.

FTTC is the most popular solution in the UK right now, and it hits the sweet spot for most of us. With top speeds of up to around 80Mbps, it’s much quicker than copper but means businesses aren’t paying for full fibre bandwidth they don’t really need. It’s the best option for most small businesses at the moment.

And it’s the best option for reasons that go beyond speed. In the rest of this article, we’ll explain how the benefits of fibre connectivity go much further than bragging rights over bits per second.

Fibre is reliable

Since the pandemic, many businesses have become more reliant on digital services and applications. That means the consequences of an internet outage, or a serious slowdown of speed, are much more serious.

To put it simply, for many businesses it’s increasingly the case that when their connectivity drops out, so does their ability to operate.

With fibre, that’s much less likely to happen. Fibre is significantly more reliable than copper, and less prone to problems due to interference or inclement weather. It’s also less likely to break and easier to maintain, so it really is the right solution if being online is essential to your business.

Speed and reliability: driving digital transformation

So fibre is faster than copper, and more reliable too. If you’re driving digital transformation in your business, that’s the combination you need.

When you’ve got fast, robust connectivity, you’ve got the foundations in place for a wide range of digital applications that can make you a more effective business and at the same time save you money.

One obvious example is cloud communications. Running VoIP, video and conferencing functions over a copper line is a recipe for frustration. It can also lead to an underwhelming customer experience and even missed sales.

That’s because traditional copper lines were not designed for large volumes of digital data, which means high bandwidth services are liable to freeze or stutter. Even internet-based voice calls are prone to interference if too many people are using the connection at the same time.

And copper internet can’t handle the demands of modern cloud-based Unified Communications, which means that without upgrading to fibre you’ll miss out on the many benefits of bundling voice, video, chat, conferencing and collaboration tools together in one cost-effective package.

Of course, with the BT ISDN switch off coming in 2025, all businesses will have to switch to internet-based communications before too long anyway. Those that do so sooner rather than later will realise the benefits ahead of many of their competitors.

Fibre for forward-thinking businesses

Communications technology is one component of a business digital transformation strategy, but there are many others.

Since the pandemic, businesses have been using more and more cloud services, for productivity, customer relationship management, accounts, project management and more.

Cloud services are efficient, easily scalable and remove the need for businesses to store and maintain expensive on-premise servers. But what they do demand is a robust connection to the internet.

Fibre provides that connectivity, in a way that copper simply can’t. If you’re expanding the range of cloud services your business connects to, and you’re still on a copper ADSL internet connection, you could be stretching your bandwidth to the limit.

That’s bound to lead to dropouts and ever-longer spells of downtime eventually. And even before then, it almost certainly means that these services are not working as well as they could. If you’re ever frustrated by painfully slow file downloads, you may need to consider upgrading your internet connection.

And that’s not just crucial for the smooth running of your internal business processes. Many SMEs are now operating what should be slick online ordering and e-commerce operations. Substandard connectivity can lead very directly to unhappy customers and dropped sales.

Remember, while your website might be prone to bottlenecks and pages that don’t load properly, your competitor’s fibre-driven alternative probably isn’t.

Fibre: cheaper in the long run

Another reason to upgrade to fibre now is that it’s never been more cost-effective to do so. At most, an FTTC connection will cost a few more pounds a month than a copper ADSL equivalent. Against that, the benefits of increased productivity and efficiency, and reduced downtime, make fibre the clear winner in terms of value for money.

Fast and reliable fibre means you can exploit technologies you wouldn’t otherwise have access to, from cloud services to Big Data. These can make your business more streamlined and effective, increasing revenues and reducing outgoings at the same time.

It also means you’ll spend less time on call to your internet provider’s helpdesk, wondering why your connection has slowed to a crawl.

All in all, fibre is about more than just faster speeds. It’s about reliability too, and it’s also about what the combination of the two can do for your business. In a nutshell, it opens up opportunities to improve everything you do – from back office functions to customer communications – in a way that just isn’t possible with traditional copper internet.

At ConnectaPhone, we have years of experience helping businesses upgrade to better connectivity and the right technology. To learn more about your communications and connectivity options and what ConnectaPhone can do for you, please get in touch with our friendly team on 01732 449 000 or book a call.