The Environmental Benefits of Fiber
Fiber technology is something everyone can feel good about when it comes to the environment. There are many contributing factors. Not only does fiber Internet deliver lighting-fast, symmetrical speeds, but it also requires less power to operate because it transmits data in its natural form – light.
And that’s just the beginning. Fiber uses more sustainable materials, has a smaller carbon footprint, and reduces waste and pollution when compared to legacy technology networks.
Did you know that by simply switching to a 100% fiber connection, at home or work, you can help reduce your personal carbon footprint and have a positive impact on our environment?
In fact, the European Commission has found that each fiber subscriber connection consumes an annual carbon emission equivalent of 1.7 tons for fiber networks compared to 2.7 tons for legacy networks.
This means that as of early April 2024, Wyyerd’s customers have helped us reduce CO2 emissions by 49,888 tons! That’s about the same level of CO2 emissions reduction as taking 10,845 daily commuters off the road for a year, or eliminating 136 international airline flights loaded with over 200 passengers each.
We at Wyyerd are committed to mitigating our carbon footprint, and we hope this is an appealing aspect for you as well of choosing fiber for your home and/or business.
Here are just a few of the environmental facts about fiber:
Energy Efficient
Fiber transmits data faster and over longer distances than copper, which means there is less energy required to build and install fiber networks, and also less energy required to maintain them over time.
Fiber networks also require less power and HVAC cooling (air conditioning), further reducing the energy consumption of fiber networks as compared to legacy technologies.
Lower Vehicle-Related Emissions
Less vehicle-related activity is a big benefit of fiber networks. The reliability of fiber networks is not just great for your Internet performance and speed, it’s also great for the reduction of vehicle emissions.
Fiber cables are less susceptible than traditional networks to signal degradation caused by bad weather, moisture, freezing, and electrical interference, which means:
- Fewer network repairs are required
- Less network maintenance is required
- Fewer trucks and other vehicles are needed on the roads to handle repairs and maintenance
Also, all Wyyerd Internet plans come with Wyyerd Wi-Fi and a router included. These routers enable remote troubleshooting, which reduces the need for technicians to visit homes and businesses, thereby reducing vehicle traffic.
Finally, fiber networks also enable people to work efficiently from home, an increasingly popular option for employers and employees in recent years. And for every employee who works from home, that’s one less commuter contributing to traffic emissions.
Greener Materials
In addition to energy and emissions benefits, the materials of fiber networks themselves are greener than alternative options.
Optical fiber is primarily composed of silicon dioxide, which:
- Is both stable and the most abundant principal component after Oxygen
- Takes a long time before it breaks down
- Has an extraction process that is environmentally friendly
In contrast, legacy networks typically use cables that contain copper
- The extraction or mining of copper has significant environmental impacts to the surrounding areas, including land and water use
- It can affect vegetation, biological life, and bodies of water
Long-Lasting and Future Proof
Fiber networks support the greatest amount of bandwidth and are the longest-lasting network technology available. In other words, fiber networks will not have to be as continuously upgraded and replaced in the coming years and decades as legacy networks will.
This means that by choosing fiber, you are helping to reduce or eliminate the need for all the energy and materials required to keep legacy technology running, and the waste that comes with replacing network cabling and equipment over and over again.
Going back to the early days of the Internet, websites were simple and videos were in standard definition, which required very little bandwidth. Fast forward to today, we have gaming, video chats, video in 8K, and all kinds of other applications that consume increasing amounts of bandwidth.
What does the future hold in terms of new applications for your Internet connection? We don’t know, but we do know that fiber networks will be able to grow with and support consumer demand for decades to come.