The Federation of Small Businesses found that 40% of SMBs are still using ADSL broadband, suffering from lower speeds and unreliable services over copper lines, instead of upgrading to the faster fibre alternatives. This could be down to a lack of understanding or perhaps just cost, with usually ADSL being the cheaper option, even though it isn’t always best suited to the needs of the business.
Broadband for business has different requirements to broadband in the home. Reliable connectivity is much more important, as a poor connection could damage your business; the FSB reported that 26% of SMBs had lost sales due to poor broadband, so it’s important that they can connect to a dependable network. Another risk of insufficient broadband is loss of productivity as, without a good internet connection, employees may not be able to operate efficiently.
Now, with Ofcom announcing that fibre broadband is currently available to 90% of SMBs, businesses should be looking to switch to superfast or ultrafast services.
Why do SMBs struggle with broadband reliability?
Traditional ADSL connections rely on copper telephone wires to transfer data, however, these can be prone to interference. The length of the copper line can also affect the strength of the connection, with properties closer to the exchange benefiting from more reliable connections than those further away.
With superfast broadband, the fibre-optic cables are purpose built for data transmission, therefore, distance from the exchange is irrelevant, meaning speeds should be better, no matter the distance. It is also less likely for your connection to drop out or stall whilst streaming audio or video, or when multiple users are accessing the internet at one time.
