Types of Business Fiber
Enterprise fiber comes in several forms: Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) provides symmetrical, uncontended bandwidth with SLA guarantees. Ethernet over Fiber (EoF) offers point-to-point or multipoint connectivity between locations. Dark fiber leases provide raw, unlit strands for organizations running their own optical equipment. Each type serves different performance and cost requirements.
Understanding SLAs
Business fiber SLAs typically guarantee 99.95%–99.999% uptime, with Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) commitments of 4 hours for critical circuits. SLA credits are issued when performance falls below the contractual threshold. Understanding jitter, latency, and packet loss commitments is critical for voice and real-time applications.
Carrier-Neutral Procurement
Most businesses in metro areas have access to 3–8 fiber providers, yet default to the incumbent without comparing options. A carrier-neutral approach evaluates all available providers at your specific address, compares pricing, SLAs, and installation timelines, and negotiates from a position of market visibility rather than single-carrier dependency.
Cost Factors
Fiber pricing depends on bandwidth (100 Mbps to 10 Gbps), contract term (typically 24–60 months), construction requirements (if fiber isn't already in the building), and market competition at the specific address. Multi-year commitments and bundling with other services can reduce monthly costs by 15–30%.