Broadband or Ethernet, which one is right for you?

With businesses looking to move their IT & telephony to the Cloud, a continuous and reliable connection to the internet is crucial to ensure there is no service disruption. There are two ways to connect to the internet; by broadband or via an ethernet circuit and you should chose your connectivity carefully.

Broadband uses a shared public network and is widely available at varying speeds. Whilst fast speeds may be available, volume of traffic can slow the upload and download speeds, as can distance from the exchange to your business. Broadband is traditionally delivered on copper telephone lines and can be vulnerable to severe weather conditions. The good news is that BT are in the process of upgrading copper lines to fibre which should ensure a quicker and more resilient service. That said, broadband is reasonable priced and has been effectively serving businesses for many years but as our reliance on the internet has increased – more so than ever during the pandemic – a more resilient, reliable and quicker broadband connection can be needed in the form of an Ethernet circuit.

Ethernet circuits use fibre cables from the exchange directly to your premises and are dedicated for your sole use. This means that upload and download speeds are guaranteed and not interrupted by volume of traffic at peak times. It is also sophisticated enough to allow certain systems to take priority over general internet traffic, so if you were using a hosted telephone system the data requirements for that would take priority over internet browsing for instance. Unfortunately, the cost of Ethernet circuits can be prohibitive to many businesses but the true cost of being without an internet connection for any period of time needs to be factored in to any decision when selecting the right connection.

So in summary, whether you need a broadband or Ethernet connection will depend on your data usage whilst bearing in mind your business plans for the future. Our IT support company Birmingham can advise on the best internet connection for you, taking into consideration budget and data requirements. Give us a call if you’d like to explore further.