Faster Internet Connectivity

Written by: John Schebler

It is usually better in terms of Internet access speed. Yes, at some point your channel's bandwidth is so high and the latency so low that your connection appears transparent. This is not the case for most of us. Our bandwidth is limited by what we can afford and what is available. Should we be content with limited performance? Not necessarily, and certainly not until we go through all the options available now.

Time has changed
One thing that prevents us from reaching a faster internet connection is the status quo. We are comfortable with our ISP and may not think about it often. Maybe you got lucky with a good broadband service years ago, or you may have done extensive research before choosing your current provider and level of service. Just remember ... it was years ago. In the years of the Internet, it was forever!

Old: T1 and DSL
T1 and DSL lines were once a technology hotspot. In fact, they may be the only ones available at the time. Sure, there's a T3 line (also called DS3) and SONET fiber comes over the phone, but it's expensive and only ordered when you really need it.

DSL was basically the technology of yesterday. However, the T1 series are alive and well. They have very long contracts, have not been in service for years or are disabled like the places in the countryside where there are not many. Today's T1 lines cost about half as much as they did a decade ago, and you can combine them together to create more bandwidth. However, for most of us there are better options.

broadband cable business
The most common broadband service today is the commercial cable service. It's 10 to 20 times the speed of the T1 line at a lower cost ... if you can get it. In urban areas there are no problems. Out of town, not so much. The DOCSIS standard has been updated over the years so that 100 Mbps bandwidth is easy to find. Up to 1000 Mbps is possible with DOCSIS 3.0, the current standard. A maximum speed of 10 Gbps is possible with the latest version, DOCSIS 3.1.

Note that these speeds are generally only available for download. The upload capacity is usually one tenth of the download bandwidth. It works fine for normal internet access, but it can be a limitation if you upload very large files. Cable broadband is also a shared service. Share your available bandwidth with others via cable instead of carrying it yourself.

fiber optic ethernet
If what you want is high-speed, highly reliable and futuristic internet access with unlimited dedicated bandwidth and low latency, fiber optic internet is the right solution. Major but expensive legacy SONET fiber services such as OC-3, OC-12 and OC-48 are quickly being replaced by Ethernet over fiber or EoF.

Carrier Ethernet is perfect for your local network, offering scalable bandwidth from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps and up to 100 Gbps in select areas. This is the cheapest service you can get in dollars per Mbps. You also have the option to start with the bandwidth you need now and quickly scale it up as needed in the future, often without making any hardware changes.

high speed wireless
Although fibers are the most desired conductivity, they are not available everywhere. This is especially true in rural areas or even outside the confines of the metro. If a fiber line arrives or approaches your building, you are in luck. Otherwise, the construction costs could be completely unacceptable, regardless of the monthly rent.

If cabling, including cable and fiber, isn't the solution for you, a wireless network can get the job done. There are two good options to consider. One is the fixed commercial internet which collects signals from towers with small antennas in your building. The other is a two-way commercial satellite that uses a small dish pointed in the sky to the south to do the same.

fixed wireless point
These providers are also known as WISPs or wireless Internet service providers. Small business Internet is similar to cable broadband, but without cables. You can get shared bandwidth of up to 50/5 Mbps for a very reasonable monthly price with no data limits. Enterprise Business Internet offers 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps dedicated symmetric fiber Ethernet bandwidth with low latency for sensitive traffic such as voice and video. As with any service, you need to be in a location that receives a strong WISP signal.

wireless satellite
The only near universal Internet service is commercial satellite broadband. Located thousands of miles above the equator, a school bus-sized satellite sends out a powerful signal that covers the United States and beyond, including islands and ships at sea. Two-way satellites have long been used at gas stations, restaurants, bank branches, and other small businesses that have limited access requirements. The new generation of "birds" is a serious competitor with cable and fiber. Now look for bandwidth options around 15 Mbps and soon up to 100 Mbps. Latency is practically locked to half a second due to the large distance. This may or may not be a factor depending on the sensitivity of your applications, such as voice, video, and cloud services, to this delay.

Did you know that there are many options for a faster internet connection for your business? Whether you are a large, medium or small organization, check out the options for high-speed broadband Internet service in your location.