Lockdown essential: fibre connectivity

A DECADE ago it would have been impossible to envisage exactly how the internet was to change the way we live, interact and operate. But roll on 2020 and we find ourselves in a never-before-imagined almost twilight zone-ish situation called “lockdown” with no thanks to the breaking of the Covid-19 pandemic. Who would have ever seen this coming?

If the lockdown has highlighted anything, it was to show that access to decent connectivity has become as much a human right as electricity and running water. As many organisations rapidly move towards permanently working from home, high-speed, reliable and affordable internet access becomes critical.

Gone are the days of fibre being a luxury whereby we just wanted to consume a movie in real time or utilise over-the-top (OTT) service offerings such as Whatsapp, Skype, Facebook, Netflix and Youtube. No, the struggle has become real. The entire family was on lockdown in a concentrated area and we rapidly progressed to utilising Teams, Skype and Zoom daily – whether working from home or running the business from the household – and of course more students are becoming more dependent on long distance learning.

Our behaviour has changed and we have had to quickly adapt accordingly. And if one thing has become evident, it is that fibre connectivity has become a basic human need.

But for many, cost has been a major barrier. Fortunately, as the demand for fibre continues to rise, so the costs are being driven down enabling a substantial growth in the market and making the technology a lot more affordable.

There are also the concerns around the disruptions that come with installation – whether it be in the house or the digging up of pavements and erecting of tar poles – but one needs to bear in mind that once this process has been done and dusted (literally), the long-term benefits far outweigh this and before you know it, you are reaping the joy that comes fibre – a far more consistent experience than what is available from wireless and copper technologies such as 4G, LTE, 3G and DSL. Can you afford not to have fibre internet access at home? The benefits are endless and go beyond working from home. Here are some additional areas where fibre can further enhance lifestyle:

Remote learning

More than ever, the Internet is impacting children’s education and with the continuous uncertainty around when schools and tertiary education will return to normality, remote learning is here to stay for a long time and a reliable internet connection will allow learners to attend classes, search for and download required information faster.

Fibre increases the value of your home

The demand for fibre in the home is rapidly becoming a dealbreaker for potential home buyers and as such, a fibre-ready home will automatically increase in value by up to 5%.

Home security

With fibre in the home, you can manage your home security and prevent possible break-ins, even remotely, allowing you to access live footage of your home from anywhere at anytime.

Online shopping

For ages we have been banking and paying bills online so why not shop online too. Afterall, who has time for long queues. Goodbye wasted time queuing and parking and hello to (safe) deliveries at your doorstep. Paid-for-tv: a thing of the past

Given that fibre is fast, convenient and reliable, it affords families the opportunity to enjoy access to uninterrupted online video streaming without the hassle of loading and buffering whilst saving dramatically compared to satellite or other pay-tv subscriptions. Enjoy a multitude of entertainment options from online streaming movies to TV series, music and more.

Still unsure?

There are a few more reasons why you should give serious consideration to Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH): One cannot stress enough that fibre is the fastest and most reliable Internet connection.

It is not affected by storms or damage done by the environment. This means that your connection will not be interrupted during bad storms and that your fibre optic cable cannot be damaged as a copper cable would.

Fibre cables cannot be stolen like copper cables.

It is not affected by other radio frequencies or communications.

Fibre is environmentally-friendly. Copper reserves are drying up, but the raw materials used to make fibre optic cables can never run out.

You can run multiple services such as voice over IP (VOIP) and data on the same fibre link and have a single line for all your services.

For more information visit vox.co.za or call 087 805 0016.