ADSL South Africa - Fiber based ADSL Broadband

Click here for a full list of factors to consider when getting ADSL Broadband.

In this section of ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa) our focus will be on Fiber based ADSL Broadband in South Africa.

What is Fiber based ADSL Broadband? Fiber based ADSL Broadband refers to the use of optical fiber to send and receive information at broadband speeds. Information is transmitted from one place to another by sending light through optical fiber.

Fiber based ADSL Broadband is used when one wants to access international destinations via the net at very high speeds. Fiber based ADSL Broadband makes for one international video and audio streaming easier than Copper or Traditional based ADSL Broadband. Fiber based ADSL Broadband is mostly used by businesses or the Average Joe who has won the lottery or who has achieved financial freedom. The reason for this is because it's a more expensive option than traditional ADSL Broadband (carries info via copper cables) which offers access to international destinations at slower speeds and higher latency.

Internet Service Provider (ISP), Openweb, launched South Africa's first Fiber based ADSL Broadband packages or Internet Solutions (IS) Fiber based ADSL packages in 2008. The packages run on a network that’s called the IS Fiber International ADSL network. 

Advantages of Fiber based ADSL Broadband:

• High-speed  - Fiber based ADSL Broadband can carry information at greater speeds than copper or electrical cables.

• Low latency - In terms of online gaming, it means that your action hero doesn’t have to walk like a duck or as slow as a tortoise, especially when you’re stuck in a fierce battle.  

• Unshaped bandwidth- Fiber based ADSL Broadband serves systems than require higher bandwidth much better than Copper based ADSL Broadband (or electrical cable).

• High electrical resistance- Fiber has a high electrical resistance which means that fiber cables can safely be used in the vicinity of '...high-voltage equipment or between areas with different earth potentials' (Wikipedia).

• Longer distances - Fiber based ADSL Broadband can carry information at longer distances than electrical cable.

• No crosstalk - Fiber cables running along each other, even for considerable distances, will not crosstalk like some types of electrical cable. Crosstalk '...refers to any phenomenon by which a signal transmitted on one circuit or channel of a transmission system creates an undesired effect in another circuit or channel' (Wikipedia).

• No sparks - Unlike copper or electrical cable, fiber can be safely used in '...flammable or explosive gas environments' (Wikipedia). Copper cable for instance can cause sparks when brought into hard contact with other metals which can lead to explosions or cause fires, especially in the vicinity of flammable materials or explosive gas.

• Cable theft - Unlike copper, fiber has no intrinsic value, which means that the replacement of copper with fiber should see a decrease in cable theft.

• Cheaper - Kabel-X, an international company, has developed technology that makes the replacement of copper with fiber cheaper, as well as five times faster than the conventional method of digging.

• Et cetera

Online gamers will welcome the low latency, unshaped bandwidth and high-speed Internet access Fiber based ADSL Broadband offers.

What is a good alternative to Fiber based ADSL Broadband?

A good alternative to Fiber based ADSL Broadband is Satellite based ADSL Broadband, depending on what you want to do and your budget. Click here for a comparison.