Fiber-optic Internet, commonly called fiber is a dedicated high speed Internet connection that reaches (not just advertises) speeds of up to 940mb per second with low lag time. The technology uses fiber-optic cables which send data as fast as 70% the speed of light. Fiber is not as susceptible to severe weather as other types of cabling which minimizes outage.
Companies too worried about cost never give fiber a look and try to get by with a cable circuit or wireless internet and then are frustrated when the circuit performs badly or never reaches the advertised bandwidth. The reason for that is those broadband circuits are shared services that are often oversubscribed and susceptible to line of site, weather, etc. The reality is that in most metropolitan areas fiber is plentiful and available at very reasonable prices.
How fiber Internet works
Fiber-optic internet is a complex technology that allows the transmission of information in the form of light rather than electricity. Optical fibers are tiny — about 125 microns in diameter, or slightly larger than a human hair. Many of these fibers are bundled together to form cables. The optical fibers carry pulses of laser or LED light down the line, transmitting information in “binary” form, similar to the 0s and 1s used in electronics. Once these super-fast pulses of light reach their destination, they are converted into electrical output that your devices can understand and use. The main difference is that fiber doesn’t utilize electric current like other types of internet connections do. It uses light, delivered through the fiber glass core.
Is fiber Internet faster?
Not only is fiber faster than other Internet technologies, it is widely considered to be more reliable, and is an excellent choice for telecommuters and businesses.
CenturyLink Fiber Gigabit service can deliver symmetrical download/upload speeds of up to 940 Megabits per second (Mbps) over a wired connection to a bundled router.
In thinking about speed, take a look at the following example that helps show the difference in speed per technology.
As an example, this is how long it would take, on average, to download a large media file (6.5 GB) by internet type:
- Dial-up 11 days
- DSL 1 – 14 hours
- Cable 1 minute – 14 hours
- Fiber Gigabit About 1 minute
Fiber is ideal for multiple users to connect several devices at once. With Gigabit fiber Internet, you can:
- Upload and download files quickly
- Support VoIP communications
- Securely Connect to Cloud File storage
- Enjoy smooth video and web conferencing
- Back up your entire hard drive to the cloud, including large photos and videos, in minutes instead of hours
- Download a 2-hour HD movie in seconds, compared to waiting 30 minutes or more over a 20 Mbps traditional internet service
You need fast, reliable networking to keep your business running and deliver an outstanding experience. Fiber has you covered with a range of low-latency, high-availability solutions designed for maximum productivity and performance.
To get a free fiber comparison summary for your business,
