Why Fiber Is Better
There’s a revolution happening at the speed of light in your community: Fiber-to-the-home internet service is coming to north central Arkansas – and the benefits are life-changing.
Petit Jean Electric Cooperative, the same company you trust to power your home, business and school, is working as fast as we can to bring high-speed broadband service to our members through our wholly owned fiber entity, Petit Jean Fiber. World-class fiber internet means the fastest speeds in your area for both downloads and uploads – no more delays or interruptions, even when streaming media.
You’ve heard of broadband, but what does that really mean? Why is fiber internet better?
The Technology
Broadband commonly refers to high-speed internet access that is always on and faster than traditional dial-up access. Broadband fiber-optic networks can deliver data, voice, video and email services over the internet.
A fiber-optic network sends and receives data at the speed of light. In addition to super-fast transmission speeds, a fiber optic network can carry an extremely high amount of data. Fiber is also more reliable than other networks because it’s less susceptible to interference and damage from lightning or weather.
But how does fiber technology work? Fiber-optic systems are made up of tiny strands of glass that carry data using light waves, resulting in much faster internet speeds and better reliability than traditional copper lines. Most internet providers use fiber in their systems but use copper lines for the final connections to the home, resulting in slower speeds. Petit Jean Electric and fellow cooperatives believe 100% FTTH is the best, most sustainable communications choice, the gold standard. With our FTTH service, we offer “symmetrical” speeds, meaning you’ll enjoy the same high speeds whether uploading or downloading.
The Benefits
Broadband availability across our cooperative’s service area will help close the digital divide between those who have access to advanced technology and those who don’t. Reliable high-speed internet access makes so many more things possible, including:
- online teaching capabilities for effective distance learning
- healthcare benefits such as telemedicine
- work-from-home interoffice connectivity and videoconferencing capabilities to optimize productivity for professionals
- quality of life improvements through enhanced communications with family and friends and endless entertainment options and booming real estate markets
With fiber internet, Petit Jean Electric members will no longer have to rely on DSL, fixed wireless or satellite internetto stay connected online. You will be able to stream high-definition media smoothly and quickly, have the data capacity to download and upload data such as files, photos and videos at super-fast speeds, and have access to the latest technological advancements and applications. You will be able to run multiple devices – such as cell phones, tablets, computers and laptops – simultaneously in your home or business without decreased download and upload speeds. There are no data caps or bandwidth throttling (intentional slowing or speeding of internet service) with our service.
In addition, by connecting our electric substations and offices with fiber, Petit Jean Electric Cooperative will create a smart grid with more automation capabilities to better serve our members. Smart grid capabilities – the standard for optimum electric infrastructure – allows our devices to communicate with each other and delivers benefits such as improved power outage response times, better load balancing, more efficient electricity delivery and others.
