One of the biggest buzzwords in IT is “fiber internet” and for good reason. Between all the benefits of speed and reliability, fiber internet has proven to be a gamechanger for supporting critical business operations.

However, few providers have actually clearly outlined the necessary information that small business owners need to know in order to make an effective decision or understand what they’re being sold.

And what’s one of the biggest details typically glossed over? Shared vs. dedicated fiber.

In this blog post, we’ll go over everything you need to know about these two different types of fiber internet so you can make the right choice for your business.

The Pros and Cons of Shared and Dedicated Fiber

Let’s first quickly review what shared fiber and dedicated fiber are. Put simply, shared internet provides bandwidth up to a specific level and the bandwidth is shared across all subscribers. Although bandwidth is commonly confused for internet speed, bandwidth is solely the volume of data transmitted over an internet connection in a given amount of time. The units are typically megabits per second (Mbps). In contrast to shared fiber, dedicated fiber provides a guaranteed bandwidth around the clock.

Shared fiber is typically less of an expense than dedicated fiber, making it a tempting option for smaller businesses. However, a downside of shared fiber, one that many business leaders may not realize, is that during surges in Internet usage, subscribers will receive far less bandwidth since the bandwidth is shared through a single cable with other users in the area.

But with dedicated fiber, if a business subscribes to 100 Mbps, users will always have access to 100 Mbps regardless of peak traffic periods. This is because the connection between your business and the web is private. Internet uptime is a huge factor in productivity and profitability—and a top reason why so many organizations are happy to invest in dedicated fiber.

Dedicated Fiber For Your Business

You might be wondering whether shared fiber or dedicated fiber is better for your business. And as you might have expected, dedicated fiber typically does cost more than shared fiber. Here are the reasons why many small to medium-sized businesses still choose to have dedicated internet access:

1.   Reliable Power and Speed

As previously mentioned, dedicated fiber guarantees that a certain level of bandwidth is solely reserved for your business. That means Internet speed won’t seesaw through the day depending on usage, even if there are multiple downloads and uploads happening at the same time. And as long as the fiber internet is symmetrical, bandwidth will still be guaranteed to be the same for both downloads and uploads. Shared fiber typically has upload speeds that are much slower than download speeds, but fast upload speeds are vital for businesses with a large number of cloud apps, VoIP technology, and remote users.

2.   Increased IT productivity

A dedicated Internet connection will free your IT team from the mire of day-to-day network management. Instead, they can focus on the projects more deserving of their time and skills and support initiatives that will move the company forward.

3.   Room to Grow

One of the most significant advantages of dedicated fiber is that there’s always room to grow. A dedicated connection means your connectivity is limitless and, as you add more members of your team, or need more bandwidth for upgraded applications, there’s always room to grow. With shared, the reality of “outgrowing” your connection is always a consideration as you plan for the future.

Get Started with Fuse.Cloud

Thinking about shared fiber or dedicated fiber?

Fuse.Cloud is the premier VoIP and fiber Internet service provider for thousands of customers across industries and sizes. Our IT solution also offers proven Managed Networking, Firewall Services, Desktop/Server stack solutions for protecting your infrastructure. And it’s all wrapped in our 24x7x365 support.

Contact us today and let’s discuss which fiber option can help your business become more resilient and successful in today’s competitive landscape.