Why Fiber?


Fiber-optic systems are revolutionizing telecommunications. Fiber is often said to be “future-proof” because the data is transmitted at the speed of light, so the rate of the connection is usually only limited by the equipment, rather than the fiber inself. This means Brownsville residents and businesses will enjoy substantial speed improvements for a long time to come before the fiber itself must be upgraded. Fiber optics has several advantages over traditional metal communications lines:

  • Fiber has better bandwidth than traditional metal cables. They carry more data so you won’t see a reduction of speed when your neighbors are all online at the same time as you.
  • Fiber optic cables are not susceptible to interference from other electrical devices or radio signals because they use digital signals (the natural form for computer data) rather than electrical signals.
  • Fiber optic service is much more reliable! The cables are much thinner and lighter than metal wires, so more fibers can be bundled into a given diameter of cable. Yet they are 4-8 times stronger, making them less likely to be damaged.
  • There is no fire hazard with fiber cabling because no electricity is transferred.
  • When you use fiber connections, data is more secure because, unlike traditional copper wires, it is not possible to tap into a glass line without breaking it.