If there’s one thing that keeps a business running smoothly, it’s reliable internet. When I had to decide between fibre and wireless internet for my business, I quickly realised that it wasn’t just a matter of speed or price. There were so many little things to consider, like making sure our conference calls didn’t turn into a game of charades due to poor connection quality or that our sales team’s VoIP calls didn’t end with awkward pauses and frustrated clients.
Here’s how I went about making the decision, based on what my team and I really needed—and how you might think about it for your own business.
What We Needed From Our Internet Connection
When you’re running a small business, the internet is like the office coffee machine—you don’t think about it until it’s not working. For us, we needed:
- Clear conference calls: Our overseas clients are a big part of our work, and we couldn’t afford for our video or audio to glitch out mid-meeting. No one wants to be the one saying, “Can you hear me now?” every five minutes.
- VoIP for the sales team: The flexibility to make calls from anywhere was important for our salespeople, especially as many work remotely or from the road. If their calls dropped or the quality was bad, we’d be in trouble.
- Fast uploads and downloads: Whether it’s sending a proposal or receiving large data files, we needed fast uploads and downloads without having to take a coffee break while waiting for things to load.
- Research and cloud tools: We’re constantly using the internet to access cloud-based tools, do market research, and keep our projects moving. Without a steady connection, we’d be left twiddling our thumbs.
Common Internet Issues for SMEs
Internet isn’t always straightforward, especially for small businesses. We’re talking about:
- Inconsistent speeds: Whether it’s fibre or wireless, sometimes the speed you pay for isn’t what you actually get—especially during peak hours. Nothing kills productivity like a slow connection when you need it most.
- Limited coverage: While fibre is expanding, it’s still not available everywhere. Wireless, on the other hand, can be patchy in rural or outlying areas, making it difficult for businesses in those locations.
- Balancing cost and quality: SMEs, like mine, are always mindful of costs, but choosing the cheapest internet option can come back to bite you if it doesn’t meet your business needs. Finding the balance between affordability and reliability can be tricky.
Fibre vs Wireless Internet: Which Worked for Us?
With all of that in mind, here’s how fibre and wireless internet stacked up against what we needed:
1. Speed and Reliability: We knew speed was a top priority. Video calls that buffer or lag are not fun, especially when you’re in a meeting with an important client. Fibre is known for offering consistently high speeds—up to 1Gbps, which was more than enough for our needs. Plus, fibre isn’t affected by the weather or congestion, which is a big deal when the Cape Town winds start howling.
Wireless, on the other hand, can be a bit hit-and-miss. While LTE speeds can be good, they tend to slow down during peak hours or if there’s bad weather. In our experience, it’s a little too unpredictable for the kind of steady performance we needed for VoIP and video calls.
So, for us, fibre came out on top here. We needed that steady, reliable speed to keep things running smoothly.
2. Installation Time and Flexibility: One thing wireless internet has going for it is speedy installation. No cables, no waiting for technicians—just plug in your router, and you’re online. If you’re looking for a quick setup, or you move offices frequently, wireless might be your best bet.
Fibre, on the other hand, takes a bit longer. For us, it was about a two-week wait before the installation was complete, but since we weren’t in a rush, it wasn’t a big issue. Once it’s in, though, fibre offers long-term flexibility, as we won’t have to worry about future upgrades or relocations.
For businesses that need to get online immediately, wireless could be a good temporary fix, but for long-term stability, fibre won the day for us.
3. Costs: Let’s be real—cost is always a factor. For my business, fibre turned out to be more cost-effective in the long run, especially with our high data usage. Uncapped fibre packages are typically more affordable than wireless options when it comes to heavy usage. For example, 25Mbps fibre costs around R500 per month, and it doesn’t matter how much data we use. Wireless plans, on the other hand, can get pricey if you go for uncapped LTE.
While wireless is generally cheaper to set up initially, ongoing costs for data usage can start to add up, especially for a business like ours that’s online all the time.
4. Scalability: As our business grows, we need an internet connection that can grow with us. Fibre is great for this because it’s easily scalable—we can upgrade our speed or bandwidth without any changes to the infrastructure. With wireless, adding more users can start to strain the connection, which could slow everything down.
For us, fibre was the obvious choice here. It’s built to handle our current needs and any growth we’re planning in the future.
Final Decision: Fibre All the Way
After looking at all the factors, fibre was the clear choice for my business. The reliable speed, cost-efficiency, and scalability meant we could work without interruptions and keep growing without worrying about the connection slowing us down. The installation took a little longer, but the benefits far outweighed the wait.
That being said, wireless internet has its place, especially if your business is in a more remote area or you need a quick, flexible setup. It just wasn’t the right fit for us, given our need for stability and high-speed performance.
Making the Right Choice for Your Business
At the end of the day, choosing between fibre and wireless internet depends on what your business needs most. If you’re like us and need reliable, high-speed internet for conference calls, VoIP, and data-heavy work, fibre might be your best bet. But if you’re in an area where fibre isn’t available or need something you can set up quickly, wireless could be the way to go.
The key is to think about what matters most for your day-to-day operations, whether that’s speed, reliability, or flexibility. Hopefully, sharing what worked (and didn’t work) for my business will help make your decision a little easier.
