Why People Are Looking To Fibre For Future-Proof Internet

Fibre Internet is often touted as a technology that can meet the demands of both consumer and business in providing fast and reliable Internet. But the question is, is fibre Internet really future-proof, or will it only be useful for a couple of years before users need to go through an expensive and potentially time-consuming shift to something better?

It’s important to first understand how fibre Internet operates. It’s a relatively simple technology, in that it sends and receives data across physical fibre-optic cables, which are installed from exchanges which can transmit data at high speeds over long distances. It’s also relatively easy to roll out, requiring just the installation of the cables, in a similar way to the phone lines of old.

It’s a remarkably cost effective and efficient way to deploy broadband to entire communities, in other words. Some of the key advantages of fibre Internet that such communities enjoy from the investment then include:

Fibre Internet offers speeds up to 10Gbps, making it one of the fastest Internet technologies available. It’s not necessary for all users to have access to this speed (which is important for keeping costs down), but as the needs of each user – and the community at large – grow, fibre can also scale to accommodate.

Fibre-optic cables are durable and less prone to interference, which makes fibre Internet highly reliable. This is important, because the more people and businesses rely on the Internet, the greater the cost when the Internet stops working. Research shows that the cost of every minute of downtime is $9,000, for a business that relies on Internet to operate, so the more reliable the underlying technology, the better for the community.

One of the key benefits of fibre Internet can accommodate a large amount of data, making it ideal for heavy Internet users. The amount of data that we produce and consume is expanding exponentially, and one of the great advantages of fibre Internet, which is making it future-proof, is that it is able to expand to meet those data needs.

While fibre Internet has its advantages, there are also some disadvantages too. Principally, there are two areas where we can be critical of fibre technology:

Fibre Internet is not widely available in all areas, and it does require an infrastructure project to deploy. The Australian government provided fibre Internet to around 98 per cent of the population at a cost of over $50 billion, so it’s not an insignificant project.

For the end users and businesses, Fibre Internet is typically more expensive than other Internet technologies, such as cable or DSL. It’s faster and more reliable, and the price is declining as more people use it, but on a raw cost basis it does cost more up-front.

Overall, those two disadvantages don’t affect the quality of the underlying technology. It costs more to deploy and use because it is a good and useful technology for the mainstream user. Fibre Internet is considered to be future-proof due to its high-speed, reliability and large bandwidth capabilities. The growing demand for high-speed Internet and advancements in fibre technology are expected to drive fibre Internet deployment in the future (and with that, costs will continue to come down).

Additionally, fibre Internet is designed to be scalable and upgradeable, making it ideal for future technological advancements.

However, it is important to note that no technology is truly future-proof. New technologies may emerge in the future that make fibre Internet obsolete.

For example, 5G wireless technology currently has issues with scaling to entire populations, but as that technology is worked on, the speeds and latency on offer will be superior to fibre. Will it replace fibre, though? That depends on its ongoing utility to society. The key to ensuring that fibre Internet remains future-proof is continuous investment in research and development to stay ahead of the technological curve.

Overall, fibre Internet is considered to be one of the most future-proof Internet technologies available today. Its high-speed, reliability, and large bandwidth capabilities make it ideal for future technological advancements.