When it comes to providing internet, there are two main options for consumers: Cable and fiber optic. Cable came first and was a reliable provider for many decades, but more recently, fiber has become more and more available. In this article, we’ll be going over just what fiber optic offers, and how it has improved over cable.
To start with, fiber optic is a much less intrusive product than traditional cable. Whereas cable can be quite bulky, fiber optic wires are as thin as a piece of hair. It’s also cheaper. While the upfront cost may seem a bit higher, fiber is more durable and not susceptible to electric interference, meaning that its maintenance costs will be far lower over time. That, and the light used inside fiber optic cables means that if any breakages occur, it will be easy to identify where it is.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to benefits. For one thing, fiber can transmit information far faster than traditional cable. Whereas cable typically gets around 100 Megabits per second in an ideal scenario, fiber optic can reach upwards of 2 Gigabits, or nearly 20 times as fast. Fiber also has a much greater bandwidth than traditional cable. And in terms of security, fiber is far better. It is harder to intercept signals that are transmitted through light (compared to electrical signals in typical cable) and thus harder for hackers to break into.
