I manage an office building where I provide internet service for the tenants, and I'm thinking about switching from Spectrum's 500m dedicated fiber to AT&T's 1g business fiber. I'm not very tech-savvy, just a business person, so I'm unsure about this change. We have up to 60 potential users, but typically around 15-20 are connected at any time, mainly doing regular office work like browsing and video calls. There's also some VOIP phone use, but nothing too heavy. My recent utilization report showed that even at peak times, usage was only about 42%, with an average of just 1.2%. Spectrum is offering a renewal for the dedicated 500m circuit at $600/month, but AT&T's gigabit service is under $200/month, which is quite tempting. I'd like to know if this switch is a good idea, considering I don't promise guaranteed service to my tenants but still aim to provide reliable internet. What factors should I think about?
5 Answers
The Spectrum plan likely provides a dedicated circuit with better uptime guarantees, meaning you might get refunds for downtime issues. On the flip side, if AT&T is stable in your area, their business line could work for you without many issues. It might be worth it to save on costs, but having a backup ISP could be a smart move for added reliability, especially for a small business!
In our experience, moving away from a single provider can be beneficial. Using two ISPs for redundancy can be more cost-effective and reliable. If there's another provider available that doesn't rely on AT&T's network, consider that as a backup. A secondary provider doesn't need to be as fast as AT&T, but it could save you from complete internet loss and lower costs. Make sure you know your contract's uptime requirements to avoid repercussions if the service fails.
If you go with AT&T, I recommend setting it up before your Spectrum contract ends. This way, you can test the stability of the AT&T service without any downtime. Plus, understanding the SLA differences is key—it's probably what you're paying more for with Spectrum!
For your situation, I'd suggest looking into the AT&T fiber option and getting it installed. Just read the terms of service to ensure compliance. Dedicated internet (DIA) is direct to you, whereas AT&T may use shared lines, but for your needs, it should be fine. Are your tenants looking for their own dedicated internet? That could be worth considering if there's demand.
What are the upload speeds on these plans? Are they symmetrical? Both AT&T and Spectrum generally offer symmetrical speeds for business fiber plans. So, if upload speed is important, just make sure to verify that's consistent across both options!
Last I heard, both do offer symmetrical speeds for business services.
Just remember that AT&T might have data caps, so check that out before deciding!