We live in a super-connected world with software, services, education, entertainment, music, shopping and cloud connectivity all available at the click of a mouse.  With the power of superfast and reliable fibre connectivity rolling out in homes across the country, accessing these services now comes at a fraction of the eye-watering costs of mobile data, LTE and other wireless broadband connections.  

“Having a reliable and fast fibre internet connection means you can now get serious about canning expensive entertainment subscription services and data contracts and get a lot more bang for your buck.  The faster speeds, minimal interruption and consistency of a fibre connection also means that you won’t be at the mercy of lousy weather and lightning strikes as is often the case with older technology.  The bottom line is that a fibre internet connection provides you with a lot more choice and quality of services, a lot faster, for a whole lot less of your hard-earned cash,” explains Linda Morris of Smart Technology Centre (STC), a leading internet service provider (ISP) and IT technology partner.

STC offers a list of eight compelling options to explore with your new superfast fibre internet connection, saving you a small fortune by opening a world of choice:

• Video on Demand

Before fibre internet, chances are you were forking out a hefty sum for a pay TV subscription every month – and for your efforts you got unending programme repeats, inconvenient scheduling, aggravating ad breaks and nauseating self-promotional campaigns.  And let’s face it, public broadcasting isn’t exactly silver screen stuff.  With fibre internet, you can subscribe to multiple streaming services at an absolute fraction of the cost of a DSTV subscription – with access to series, movies, documentaries, music and exclusive content. Think Netflix, Showtime, Showmax and Classic Cinema Online to mention just a byteful - watch what you want, when you want to – and the choices and depth of content are mind-blowing.  For streaming newbies, the excitement is probably on par with how Charlie Bucket felt when he discovered the last golden ticket to let rip in Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory. As a last tempting titbit, your fibre line is impervious to weather, meaning that there are no annoying ‘signal’ interruptions as is the case with satellite TV, and you won’t wait weeks to have your ADSL line repaired either.      

• Music streaming

If your city was built on rock and roll, then you’ll love the many music streaming avenues that your fibre line provides – some at a minimal subscription and some at no cost at all.  These include Spotify, Joox, iTunes, Google Play Music and YouTube among many others.  Live stream or subscribe to a premium version to download and store your favourite tracks and artists to listen without an internet connection later – no more spending money on Neolithic CDs and DVDs.  Anyone been in a CD store lately?

• Online Shopping

Online shopping allows you to buy anything from a car and cell phone, to jeans, knickers and groceries. No more queuing and spending time chasing specials and price comparisons – you can do it all online without leaving your couch, in mere minutes.  Many online shopping outlets offer free delivery over a certain spend and free returns if you’re not entirely blown away with your purchase.  You’ll also save a small packet by avoiding the impulse buying that happens when you walk down the store aisles.  Retailers such as Pick ‘n Pay and Woolworths allow you to draw up a handy online shopping list which you can revisit with every shop, and simply add to or deduct from for those regular monthly groceries – so you save time, money, petrol and trolley rage.   

• Safety and Security

With an uncapped fibre line, you can become the original big brother by connecting safety and security devices such as your alarm system and CCTV cameras to the web, allowing you to remotely access these feeds via a smart device or computer.  While this functionality is not new, it is a great deal more attainable with a fast, reliable and affordable fibre internet solution. 

• The Connected Home

Ever heard of a smart house that can have your cuppa jo ready and waiting, turn on the oven, draw the curtains and switch on the lights and aircon before you get home?  With a fibre internet connection you can step into the future and have all your appliances in your home synchronised to suit your lifestyle and comings and goings.   

• Online Education

E-learning brings flexibility, interaction and access to digital learning materials and the opportunity to participate in international courses and programmes. In a traditional bricks and mortar tertiary education environment, there are many hard costs beyond the tuition fees such as student accommodation, meals, transport, fuel, toll fees, vehicle insurance, textbooks and so on.  Thanks to online learning, much of these costs can be alleviated.  Most crucially, the internet holds the most extensive collection of academic material in the world.  Lectures are recorded and broadcast online, experts are online with documentaries and discussion forums, and for the most part, education today demands that students conduct much of their research online.  The underlying technology that makes all this possible is a high-speed, reliable internet connection that families can actually afford – a far cry from the situation just 5 or 10 years ago.  

• Reliable 

Not only is your fibre line lightning fast, but it’s lightning proof as well, as optic fibre cable does not conduct a current - saving you the hassle of downtime and outages as a result of lightning strikes.  Another perk is that a fibre line contains no copper so is unlikely to be stolen - copper theft has become somewhat of a national sport in SA – but with fibre you get sustained, uninterrupted connectivity 24/7. 

It’s hard to believe that it was just ten years ago that having internet access became as essential to life as electricity and water.  There’s very little you can do today without an email address and decent internet connection - so next time you’re tapping your fingers waiting for a webpage to load or your file transfer to happen, remember how far we have come since the days of the dial-up modem, and how much further you can go with reliable fibre to the home. 

For more information go to www.stc.za.com