Short answer: Most Orlando offices choose between three kinds of business internet: shared broadband (cable or fiber), dedicated fiber with a service-level agreement, and a backup connection behind either one. Broadband is cheap and fast on paper but best-effort; dedicated fiber costs more and takes longer to install but gives you guaranteed, symmetrical speed and a repair commitment. The right answer depends on how much of your business stops when the internet does. That includes your phones, your cloud apps and your card terminals.
The three kinds of business internet
Shared broadband. This is cable internet, or fiber sold as a broadband product. You share capacity with other customers in the area, speeds are “up to” rather than guaranteed, and repairs happen when they happen. For a small office that mostly uses email and web apps, it’s often all you need, and the price is hard to beat.
Dedicated internet access (DIA). A fiber circuit reserved for your business alone. Speeds are symmetrical (the same up as down) and guaranteed, and the contract includes a service-level agreement (SLA) that commits the carrier to uptime and repair times, with credits when they miss. It costs more each month, and if the carrier has to build fiber to your building, installation can take weeks or months.
A backup connection. A second circuit from a different carrier, ideally over a different physical path, such as cable behind fiber or a cellular (LTE or 5G) router behind either one. A firewall or SD-WAN device switches traffic to the backup automatically when the primary fails.
Broadband vs. dedicated fiber, side by side
| Shared broadband | Dedicated fiber (DIA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | “Up to” a number, varies with neighborhood load | Guaranteed, usually symmetrical |
| Upload | Often a fraction of download on cable | Same as download |
| Repair commitment | Best effort | SLA with repair times and credits |
| Static IP addresses | Available, sometimes extra | Standard |
| Install time | Days to a couple of weeks | Weeks, or months if construction is needed |
| Monthly cost | Lower | Higher |
| Typical term | Month-to-month to 2 years | Often 3 years |
Key takeaways
- Broadband is best-effort; dedicated fiber comes with guaranteed speed and an SLA.
- Upload speed now matters as much as download for VoIP, video calls and cloud backup.
- A backup line from a different carrier over a different path is the cheapest uptime you can buy.
- What’s already wired into your building can limit your options and your install date.
Why upload speed matters more than it used to
Ten years ago an office mostly downloaded. Now it uploads constantly: every VoIP call sends your voice out, every video meeting sends your camera, cloud backups push files offsite all night, and surveillance systems with remote viewing stream outward. Cable broadband is usually asymmetrical, so a plan advertised at several hundred megabits down often uploads at a tenth of that or less. If calls get choppy when someone sends a large file, upload capacity is the usual suspect. Our VoIP guide for Orlando small businesses covers how to keep voice traffic protected on a busy line.
The backup line most offices skip
Ask what an internet outage costs you per hour: missed calls, a front desk that can’t check anyone in, a sale that can’t go through. For many businesses that number makes a modest backup line look cheap. Three things make a backup worth having:
- A different carrier. Two circuits from the same carrier can fail together.
- A different path. Two lines buried in the same trench get cut by the same backhoe. Cellular backup avoids the trench entirely.
- Automatic failover. A backup that someone has to switch on manually isn’t much of a backup. Your firewall or SD-WAN device should move traffic over on its own and move it back when the primary returns.
Your building decides more than you think
Before comparing prices, find out what’s already in your building. Some Orlando office buildings are “lit” with fiber from one or more carriers, so service can be turned up quickly. Others have only cable, and getting fiber in means a construction quote, permits and a longer wait. Multi-tenant buildings add another step: the carrier’s service usually ends in a shared telecom room (the demarcation point), and someone has to run cabling from there to your suite. That inside run, called a demarc extension, is a low-voltage job that often falls between the carrier and the landlord. Planning it early keeps it from delaying your move-in. If you’re relocating, our office move low-voltage timeline shows where internet ordering fits.
Reading the contract
Business internet contracts carry terms that home internet doesn’t. Check the term length and what happens at the end of it, since many renew automatically unless you give notice in a set window. Check the early termination charges if you move or outgrow the service. On dedicated circuits, read the SLA itself: the uptime percentage, the repair-time commitment, and how you claim credits when the carrier misses.
Questions to ask any business internet provider
- Is this shared or dedicated bandwidth, and what are the guaranteed upload and download speeds?
- Is my building already on your network, or does service require construction?
- What is the SLA for uptime and repair time, and how are credits claimed?
- How many static IP addresses are included?
- What is the term, does it auto-renew, and what are the early termination charges?
- Who handles the inside wiring from the building’s telecom room to our suite?
- Does your service path share any infrastructure with our backup carrier?
Answering those for three or four carriers is tedious, which is why many businesses use a vendor-neutral advisor. Orlando Business Telephone Systems sources broadband, dedicated fiber, Metro Ethernet and SIP trunks from multiple carriers and manages the circuits after install, so you have one number to call when something goes wrong. When that circuit will also carry your phones, we size it together with your business phone and VoIP system.
Shopping for business internet in Orlando?
Orlando Business Telephone Systems has engineered voice, network and low-voltage systems across Central Florida since 1982. As a vendor-neutral carrier advocate, we compare what’s actually available at your address, design the failover, and handle the inside wiring so the circuit, the network and the phones work as one system.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between business broadband and dedicated internet?
Business broadband is shared capacity sold at “up to” speeds with best-effort repairs. Dedicated internet access is a circuit reserved for your business, with guaranteed symmetrical speeds and a service-level agreement covering uptime and repair times. Broadband costs less; dedicated fiber is more predictable.
How long does it take to get business fiber installed in Orlando?
If your building already has fiber from the carrier, service can often be turned up in a few weeks. If the carrier needs to build fiber to the building, expect a longer timeline because of construction and permits. Ask about building status first and order early, especially before an office move.
How much internet speed does a small office need?
It depends on how many people work there and what they do. Video calls, VoIP and cloud backup all lean on upload speed, so compare upload as well as download. A network assessment of your actual usage beats picking the biggest advertised number.
Is a cellular backup good enough for a business?
For many small offices, yes. An LTE or 5G backup router keeps phones, card terminals and cloud apps running through most outages, and it doesn’t share a trench with your wired line. Offices with heavy data needs may want a second wired circuit from a different carrier instead.
What is a demarc extension?
It’s the cabling that runs from the point where a carrier’s service enters your building, usually a shared telecom room, to your own suite or network rack. Carriers often stop at the demarcation point, so the extension has to be planned as a separate low-voltage job.