Fiber optics is no doubt an investment—so what are the payoffs?
The initial cost of a fiber optic connection is higher than traditional connections. But if you were to look at the long-term costs, fiber will ultimately save your company money. The optical cables’ durability, lower maintenance costs, and less hardware than other connections mean your businesses invests up-front with long-term payoffs.
Looking at the longer-term investments, the value of installing fiber optics are lasting. When you want to install fiber optics into your building, most of the time, you will be investing in your infrastructure. When you want to put in DSL or Wireless, you might not have to put in a new line or install new cable because most of these legacy connections already have something in place. But their speeds don’t allow your business to reach peak performance like fiber does.
If you decide to install fiber optics into your building, you are investing in the future of not only your company but also the real-estate of your building. You are adding assets that in the long run will add value.
Adds to your property value
It is easy to understand: if you add value to a piece of property, you will add a monetary value to the property. Same is true to the added value of a fiber optic connection. According to the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Council Americas, a homeowner can typically see $5,437 boost to their home by adding a fiber connection. That’s roughly the same as adding a fireplace or a half of a bathroom to a house.
“The evidence is mounting: investment in fiber improves the economic performance of a community as well as its quality of life,” said FTTH Council President and CEO Heather Burnett Gold. “Around the United States, leaders at the local level have started to think about how their community’s Internet infrastructure is a catalyst for economic, educational, and governmental innovation.”
While home real estate and commerce real estate may differ, it is clear that there’s a lot of value in a fiber connection. In the age of internet-based businesses, traditional models of real estate appraisals have changed, and the physical location of your business might not be as important — if you have the right internet connection.
Easier to Maintain
Investing in fiber optics will cost more than copper in the short term. Prices, however, are posed to decrease dramatically as options for fiber become even more commonplace. Ultimately, the total ownership cost of fiber is much lower than most of the legacy hardware. Fiber, as we have discussed, is much more durable, cheaper to maintain, and requires less hardware to run.
Fiber is much more durable
The hardware of copper cable is a relatively fragile technology. You might think fiber is more delicate since it is made of glass, but that is not the case.
Typically, a copper cable can sustain about 25 pounds of pressure without being damaged. This means it can be damaged with relative ease during routine operations in a company’s telecommunications space.
Fiber, in contrast, can withstand about 100 to 200 pounds of pressure. Meaning, it is far less likely to be damaged during routine operations.
These, along with many other reasons, point to the value of a fiber internet connection for businesses. Learn more about how TDS can support your business’s transition to fiber and see if TDS fiber is available in your area today.
