Advantages of an All-Fiber Network

Internet access has gone through a continuous evolution of improvement over the past 25 years.

• Dial up access
• DSL
• Satellite networks
• Wireless (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G)
• Cable TV networks
• All-Fiber (or Fiber to the Premise)

An interesting point about each of the networks listed above is that they all have one thing in common – FIBER.  Fiber is at the core of each of these communications networks.  The reason for that is quite simple – fiber has the greatest capability to transmit the greatest amount of information at the greatest speeds.  Even the latest in wireless communications, 5G, is driven by fiber networks connecting each of the 5G towers.

While it might be arguable that fiber may not be the medium over which broadband services will be delivered in the distant future, it is certain that it is currently the best there is.  The real question is what benefits does a fiber network bring to the community where it has been deployed?  The answer to that question is varied and spans the following areas:

• Education
• Health care
• Entertainment
• Other commercial activity

The last area, commercial activity, essentially covers anything not covered in any of the first four areas.  The impact on each of these industry segments is driven by the ready access to information enabled by fiber networks.

Education

Sadly, the impact of the pandemic on K-12 as well as higher education has given a small glimpse into the possibilities that a fiber network can have on our education systems.  Without notice and with little preparation, our country’s education systems quickly transformed from an in-person experience to a virtual delivery system that relied heavily on the presence of broadband network access. 

While education systems will most likely continue to rely on an in-person delivery model, we have seen the capabilities of using existing technologies to provide an effective learning experience.   The effectiveness of a virtual learning experience will surely increase given the advancements in a number of technologies.  Improvements in developing technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality, machine learning, voice and image recognition, the virtual reality learning experience will provide students of all ages access to more and better learning resources.  And these improvements will most likely come at a lower cost as a virtual learning model can achieve scale much better than the traditional in-person model.

The result will be smarter students gaining accreditation in a number of academic areas at a faster pace and lower cost than what current teaching methods are capable.

Health Care

The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted developments in performing health care using what some refer to as telemedicine.  The past year has seen a significant increase in the sales of medical devices used to measure bodily functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and blood oxygen levels. Obtaining these readings along with the ability for patients to engage with physicians in some distant location and send live and recorded images and video provides a timely and cost-effective way to deliver health care.

These capabilities will be enhanced by the deployment of body scanning equipment in remote areas that will allow radiologists, again in distant locations, to perform their reviews to find underlying medical conditions in patients.

Entertainment

The deployment of broadband networks and the unbundling of video programming from the network over which it is delivered has already significantly impacted the delivery of home entertainment options.  Prices have gone down, and real options have proliferated.  The ability to view programs in HD and 4K is becoming the new norm because of the capabilities of advanced broadband networks.

Gaming is growing as a source of entertainment, again, driven by the capabilities of new broadband networks. 

The future of home entertainment will bring new ways to enjoy viewing with the deployment of virtual reality.  Virtual reality as we have recently come to know it as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is really quite simple, attending classes, courses or meetings via a Zoom conference.  But virtual reality has a lot more to offer when it is delivered over a robust fiber network.  Think about viewing a sporting event as if you are on the sideline of a football game.  You are wearing virtual reality goggles and you look to the right and left and you see the players on the team, and right in front of you is the field of play with all of the game action.

These and other advanced capabilities require the bandwidth that Circle Fiber delivers.

Other Commercial Activity

Almost every form of business and employment will be impacted by the availability of advanced broadband networks.  The ready accessibility to reams of information that will be enabled by the Circle Fiber network will have a dramatic impact on all forms of businesses.  Take, for instance, just the following examples:

• A graphic designer has a suite of computer applications and image libraries but most importantly, this graphic designer has outstanding capabilities to bring advertising and marketing concepts to life. The graphic designer works remotely from their home and interacts with clients via video or teleconference, or email and delivers outstanding award-winning marketing collateral.
• A software developer works from home using their Circle Fiber network. They have access to all of the systems and data bases they need to develop, test and implement advanced enhancements to the system software their company uses to deliver its products.  Since this developer works for a company 500 miles away, they have a meaningful role in a company they would not have otherwise considered.
• A salesperson uses the capabilities of video and teleconferencing to meet with and support their customers. Using these capabilities, this salesperson has more meaningful discussions supporting existing customers as well as meeting new ones and introducing them to the products they sell.  More productive time means more sales.
• An insurance claims processor for a health care provider challenges medical claims with insurance companies. Using their Circle Fiber connection, they have access to all the information they need to perform their work at home on a timeframe that better enhances productivity and positive outcomes.  As a result, more claims are processed more quickly than when the work was performed at the office.

Innovative businesses operating in all segments of our economy will transform the way businesses achieve success and, in many cases, transform the way business is conducted.

Research of communities that have deployed all fiber networks has shown that the value of homes in those communities increases beyond what they would have otherwise.  That increase in home value is nice but the bottom line impact of fiber networks goes well beyond that increase home value and is reflected in the improvements in the quality of people’s lives as a result of the improved communications infrastructure.