Developers of commercial buildings almost always have a sustainability goal they must meet, whether it is a greenfield project or a redevelopment. Whether that goal is a project requirement or incentive-based compensation, developers must find creative ways to improve the sustainability of the commercial buildings they work on. Fiber networks can help developers meet their sustainability goals in three distinct ways; materials reduction, increasing the life of the network and providing cost savings.
Sustainability: Benefits of Fiber Networks over Traditional Copper Networks
Fiber networks offer a more sustainable networking solution than traditional copper networks. According to a 2017 study, fiber provides the most energy-efficient solution for broadband access networks. At just 50 Mbps, fiber nearly doubles the energy efficiency of DOCSIS. As speeds increase, fiber’s comparative energy efficiency also increases.
Beyond energy efficiency, fiber optic cabling does not require any rare or limited metals. Fiber optic cables use silicon dioxide, an abundant resource that is relatively easy to extract. Global copper supplies, on the other hand, are struggling to keep up with current demand. Producing copper also requires large amounts of fossil fuels, further contributing to its unsustainability.
Sustainability: Through Increased Network Lifespan
In addition to improved energy efficiency, fiber optic cabling offers an exceptionally long lifespan. For properly installed fiber cabling, there is a failure probability of just 1 in 100,000 over a 20 to 40-year lifespan. Over that same timeframe, there is a failure probability of 1 in 1,000 due to manual intervention. This means fiber optic cabling is significantly more likely to fail due to human error and, if protected correctly, will last for decades.
With a long lifespan, developers can count on fiber optic cabling as a durable, robust, and long-lasting networking solution. This allows the building to scale and change technologies while never worrying about needing to rip and replace the network infrastructure.
Meeting Sustainability With the Cost Savings of Fiber Networks
Fiber optic networks offer significant ROI benefits due to their long lifespan and energy savings. Factoring in the low materials and installation cost with the potential energy savings; over a short amount of time, fiber optic networks pay for themselves.
Commercial developers can reduce operational costs by choosing fiber for their networking solution. By leveraging the lifespan of fiber, developers can minimize unexpected maintenance costs. Fiber also can help reduce energy bills in areas with high energy costs. These benefits come alongside higher-quality technology that provides faster network speeds and greater connectivity.
NPN’s Neural Path: Sustainability With No Upfront Costs
With NPN’s Neural Path Network-as-a-Service solution, developers can enjoy all of the sustainability benefits of fiber networking without the upfront costs.
NPN brings you a complete fiber optic network along with 24/7 maintenance and monitoring for a single monthly subscription. This enables you to take advantage of connectivity solutions for Cellular, CBRS, Wi-Fi, IoT, Broadband and Streaming, Security Access, and Core Building Systems, all in a simple managed service package.
