Top Reasons That Prove Fiber Optic’s Positive Impact On Rural Areas
There is a lot more to fiber optic internet service than fast downloads of high-definition movies. Fiber internet and FTTH create many opportunities for rural areas in almost every part of the world. Fiber internet can open doors to education, economic growth, and more that can boost productivity and give local economies a boost.
When asked about the benefits of introducing fiber internet to rural communities, our team of fiber optic network installation experts shared some of the alternatives of fiber internet in the rural area and detailed the benefits of fiber internet:
Alternatives Of Fiber Internet In Rural Areas
T1 Line
This old yet surviving form of internet connection may still be the choice of some small businesses in rural areas. Telephone companies provide T1 lines for internet access.
T1 lines are reliable because they are a dedicated copper line. However, data transfer on these lines is slow; the speed maxes out at 1.54 Mbps and more expensive than all other alternatives priced at around $250 per month.
DSL
A more superior option provided by telephone companies in rural areas is the Dedicated Subscriber Line (DSL). The DSL has better speeds than the T1, ranging from 3 to 20 Mbps and sometimes up to 40-100 Mbps. DSL internet is also cheaper than T1 with varying monthly charges.
The drawback of using DSL is that although it is a dedicated line from the user to the phone company’s central hub, it is also a shared service, which can affect speed during peak hour.
Cable Broadband
At present, there are usually multiple broadband options in rural areas provided by cable companies. Cable broadband internet uses coaxial cable lines. Cable broadband can provide faster speed than both T1 lines and DSL. Setup is also easy and installation takes very little time once the cable has been laid. Broadband cable usually delivers speeds of 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps. The pricing of cable broadband is comparable to DSL.
Similar to DSL, cable broadband internet speeds are affected during peak times because it is also a shared service.
Fiber
Fiber has many advantages over all other alternatives. It can handle larger quantities of data at faster speeds than DLS or cable broadband.
The bandwidth scalability potential of fiber is limitless, which means in the future fiber will be able to provide faster connections due to its higher bandwidth capabilities, it is more secure, reliable, and has a longer economic life, which saves the consumers money in the long run.
Following are the positive impacts of fiber internet in rural areas:
- Fiber can help rural communities position themselves for jobs and economic growth of tomorrow.
- An FTTH connection to a private property increases the value.
- Seasonal residents and telecommuters are attracted to rural areas with fiber connectivity.
- Fiber infrastructure will serve as a base for future technologies such as 5G.
- Fiber can cater to the growing data transfer needs of rural areas that have an increasing number of smart devices in use for entertainment, education, communication, and professional purposes.
- Fiber will help students of all ages in their educational pursuits through more accessible to information and knowledge.
- Fiber will help minimize the digital divide between urban and rural areas.
