Is wireless internet good enough to run a business on?

As a primary line, only in places fibre can't reach. Wireless works hardest as a backup: it keeps essentials running when the fibre is cut, at lower speeds.

Why does fibre go down during load shedding?

Fibre itself needs no power at your office, but the network's street cabinets and exchanges do. When those lose power without backup, your line drops even if your office has a UPS.

Should my business have both fibre and wireless?

For most businesses, yes. Fibre carries the day, wireless catches the failures. Run as one managed service, the switch between them is automatic.

What speed should the backup line be?

Enough for the essentials: payments, VoIP, email and your core systems. It doesn't need to match the fibre; it needs to keep the business trading.

Does a backup line need its own router?

It needs a router that supports dual connections and automatic failover. We supply and manage that as part of the service, so switching needs no human.

What does fibre with backup cost?

It depends on your site and the backup capacity you need, so we price it per proposal. The proposal price is the price; there are no surprise line items.

Guide

Fibre vs wireless backup: what your business actually needs

Fibre is faster and steadier; wireless survives the failures that take fibre down. For most South African businesses the honest answer isn't either, it's both, working as one system.

Every connectivity conversation in South Africa eventually reaches the same question: fibre or wireless? It's usually the wrong question. They fail in different ways, which is exactly why they work so well together. Here is the comparison with no salesmanship in it.

What matters	Fibre	Wireless
Speed and capacity	The clear winner: high, stable speeds with symmetrical options.	Slower and variable; shared spectrum means busy-hour dips.
Latency	Low and consistent. The right choice for VoIP, trading and cloud apps.	Higher and less predictable.
Physical risk	Cables get cut: trenching, cable theft, street works.	No cable to cut; towers can be affected by power and congestion.
Load shedding	Street cabinets can lose power even when your office has backup.	Stays up if the tower has power; routes around dead street equipment.
Install time	Days to weeks, depending on the building.	Often within days; sometimes same week.
Best role	Primary line. It should carry your business day.	Backup and rapid deployment. It should catch you when fibre fails.

The verdict

Fibre should carry your business day; nothing else matches its speed and consistency. Wireless should stand behind it, because the things that kill fibre in South Africa, street works, cable theft and load shedding at the cabinet, don't touch a wireless path. Run them as one managed service and the handover between them needs no human at all.

That combined setup is exactly what we build: business fibre with automatic failover.

Common questions

Is wireless internet good enough to run a business on?: As a primary line, only in places fibre can't reach. Wireless works hardest as a backup: it keeps essentials running when the fibre is cut, at lower speeds.
Why does fibre go down during load shedding?: Fibre itself needs no power at your office, but the network's street cabinets and exchanges do. When those lose power without backup, your line drops even if your office has a UPS.
Should my business have both fibre and wireless?: For most businesses, yes. Fibre carries the day, wireless catches the failures. Run as one managed service, the switch between them is automatic.
What speed should the backup line be?: Enough for the essentials: payments, VoIP, email and your core systems. It doesn't need to match the fibre; it needs to keep the business trading.
Does a backup line need its own router?: It needs a router that supports dual connections and automatic failover. We supply and manage that as part of the service, so switching needs no human.
What does fibre with backup cost?: It depends on your site and the backup capacity you need, so we price it per proposal. The proposal price is the price; there are no surprise line items.