Before diving into connection types, it’s important to understand service tiers. Business internet typically offers higher reliability and dedicated 24/7 support compared to residential internet. It’s ideal for hosted voice (VOIP), video conferencing, and cloud-based platforms.
For companies needing advanced functionality and peace of mind, Ethernet Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) offers dedicated connection, higher reliability, service level agreements (SLAs), and symmetrical upload/download speeds, with ultra-low latency. It’s designed to handle multiple users, heavy workloads, and mission-critical operations.
The Main Types of Internet Connections
Here’s a breakdown of the most common business internet types:
Dedicated Internet Access
Dedicated Internet access provides a private, high-speed internet connection exclusively for your business, ensuring consistent performance and reliability. DIA offers symmetrical speeds with minimal latency and jitter, making it ideal for critical and real-time applications. It’s delivered over fiber transport with scalable speeds up to 10x Gbps, but it’s usually more expensive than shared internet services due to the dedicated nature of the connection.
Fiber Internet
Fiber-optic internet is widely considered the best connection type for businesses. It uses light signals to transmit data, providing fast, reliable symmetrical speeds and ultra-low latency. Although shared, customers rarely experience performance issues. If you’re asking, “is fiber internet better?”—the answer is a strong yes for businesses that depend on speed and uptime. At Lightcurve, we offer scalable fiber Internet plans for every business size, including multi-gigabit speeds. We continue to invest in making fiber internet more available to our customers.
Cable Internet
Cable internet is widely available and faster than DSL, but it’s a shared connection, which can lead to slower speeds during peak hours. It offers asymmetrical speeds, with high gigabit download but limited upload speeds. While not as fast or consistent as fiber, cable can work for businesses with moderate needs and tight budgets. At Lightcurve, we offer a scalable range of speeds and invest in providing a fiber optic network that connects to the nearest nodes where coaxial cables run to customers’ locations to deliver the final connection.
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
DSL runs over traditional phone lines and is slower than cable and fiber. It can be a cost-effective option for small offices with basic requirements like email and point-of-sale systems. Speeds are asymmetrical and vary from 1Mbps to 50Mbps download, depending on the distance to the service provider’s central office, making it unscalable.
Satellite Internet
Satellite internet is expensive and often the only choice for rural or hard-to-reach locations. It suffers from high latency, lower speeds, limited data buckets and is usually affected by physical obstructions and weather conditions. Uploading files, cloud syncing, or real-time collaboration may be frustrating over satellite, so it’s often used as a last resort.
Wireless Internet vs. Internet via Cable or Fiber
Businesses may consider wireless internet vs internet via a wired connection. While wireless (like 4G/5G fixed wireless) offers flexibility and portability, wired connections—especially fiber—deliver far superior speed, security, and stability. Wireless can be a great backup, but fiber should be your foundation.
Find the Right Fit with Lightcurve
Lightcurve offers a wide range of speeds and connection types, including advanced fiber internet plans designed for performance, reliability, and growth. Whether you’re a small startup or a fast-growing enterprise, we’ll help you find a connection that works for you, without the guesswork.
Call us today at (800) 832-5725 to learn how to get ultra-fast Lightcurve Internet for your business—backed by local support, no contracts, and connection types built to scale as you grow.
