Broadband v Ethernet: Things to Think About

When you choose how to connect your business to the internet and cloud how do you do it?

Often companies look purely at the price tag – a mistake that can prove more costly in the long-run.

It’s true that Broadband certainly offers value-for-money, but it isn’t as robust a technology as Ethernet.

As Broadband uses the public telecoms network it can sometimes lack the performance and reliability that SMEs need – especially if connectivity is business critical.

Ethernet uses dedicated fibre optic connections which offers high speed, performance as well as reliability. It is designed specifically for businesses and backed by a stringent Service Level Agreement. For that reason alone, it’s a clear winner over Broadband.

The sticking point though can be the price. If your IT budget can’t quite stretch to it, there are other lower cost options to consider:

• Ethernet in the First Mile - EFM
• Fibre to the Cabinet – FTTC

EoFTTC are cheaper than full fibre optic Ethernet – but still give the same high-quality service. If something goes wrong though – it incurs a slightly slower fix time. Whichever package you go for, it’s important to make sure it’s backed up by a robust Service Level Agreement which sets out the response times if the system does go down.

Before you make a decision on which connectivity option to go for – think about how much you need it for your business to function and function effectively. Once you’ve thought that through invest in a connection package accordingly. Our advice would be to buy the best your business can afford, and not make your decision based on price alone.