Fibre Optics - What is it and how can it benefit your business?
More and more frequently, especially with more technologically apt Tenants and Purchasers, I am being asked the question, "Does this property have fibre?". With the changing innovations for connectivity as well as new construction guidelines province wide, this is a requirement that will become increasingly more prevalent in the commercial real estate market.
What is fibre optic connection?
Fibre is the transmittal of data through light instead of electricity. Light waves or impulses are transferred through glass tubes that are bundled in insulated cables. Fibre-optic networks have become the benchmark for high-quality connectivity in businesses, however many are hesitant to make the switch from copper cable. Outlined below are some of the instant benefits that fiber optic connection can have for your business, and the reason why so many are making the switch.
Benefits of Fibre Optic
- Increased Bandwidth potential.
- Increased Signal Distance without degrading the strength.
- Improved Security of data - much harder to intercept data compared to copper.
- Increased Upload/Download Speed - as fast as one gigabit per second!
- Less Cable required to achieve higher speeds - fibre cable size not correlated with speed as it is with copper cable.
- Lifetime Cost of fibre optic is lower - more durable and cheaper to maintain with less hardware.
- Improved Reliability as less susceptible to environmental factors that could trigger outages.
Edmonton'S Fibre Optic Network
In Edmonton, Telus pledged to invest $1 Billion into building out our City's fibre optic network, making Edmonton Canada's "first gigabit society". They have phased out the City in order to eventually have fibre access across the Greater Edmonton Area, residential and commercial, making it the company's largest fibre optic investment in its history as well as the largest in the country. This confidence in our City has created and will continue to create an environment where our businesses can thrive and compete with the best on a global scale. More can be read about this in the Edmonton Journal Article from June 20th, 2015.
To determine if your business address currently has fibre connectivity capability, or when it is expected to receive this, please click on the following handy map below which will redirect you to the Telus Fibre Optic availabilty map. Fibre Optic has become the new gold standard for connectivity in Edmonton and you will certainly continue to hear more about it!
Click the availability map to search if your business (or home) address is serviced by TELUS PureFibre™ network