Internet access – an important success factor

The future of skilled trades is digitalized and networked. The internet has become an integral part of everyday business. But what should you look for when it comes to internet access?

This article is part of the special topic Digital Crafts

Internet access in the office and on the go is a key to success for businesses: Customer inquiries can be quickly answered via email using a smartphone, tablet, or PC. Even urgently needed supplies can be ordered with just a few clicks – including a quick online price comparison from various suppliers. This saves businesses time and money.

At the same time, the cost of internet access has dropped significantly. DSL contracts, including a surfing and phone flat rate to the German landline, cost less than €30 net per month from some providers – including a 16 Mbit connection. Speeds of up to 100 Mbit cost less than €34 per month from cheaper providers. However, it's worth taking a second look at all advertised prices: promotional prices are often only valid for twelve or 24 months before the costs automatically increase. Several employees can share internet access in the office, provided the provider's terms and conditions do not prohibit this: All that's needed is a router (starting at around €35), to which all devices can be connected via network cable or Wi-Fi.

ISDN discontinued model

New DSL customers should note that most providers only offer telephone connections with All-IP technology for new applications. This means that telephony and internet access run via the Internet Protocol. Only existing customers can continue to use ISDN and standard analog connections until the end of 2018 at the latest. This doesn't have to be a disadvantage: Making calls is just as convenient as with ISDN. However, a router or telephone system that supports All-IP technology is required.

But how fast should the internet connection be? For normal office work, a 6 Mbit connection is usually sufficient. If IP telephony is also used, at least 16 Mbit is recommended. It should be noted that DSL connections provide different speeds for uploads and downloads: Uploads are significantly slower (see table). Therefore, for the regular online transmission of high-resolution images or videos, such as those used by dental technicians or when working with CAD/CAM solutions, a significantly faster connection is advisable. Connections between 50 and 200 Mbit are optimal here.

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50 megabits per second – still not for everyone

The maximum possible speed depends on various factors. Although the German federal government presented its "Digital Agenda" in the summer of 2014, which promises nationwide data transmission speeds of 50 megabits per second for all households by 2018, many regions are still far from achieving this. If DSL internet access is technically unavailable or only slow, it may be worthwhile to look for alternatives: for example, internet via satellite, microwave radio, or cable TV.

If companies need online access while on the move or on construction sites, data plans for smartphones, tablets, or notebooks are a good choice. Prices here have also been falling for many years: For less than six euros net per month, you can get all-network flat rates for calls to all German networks, including two gigabytes of data transfer. There are also pure data plans without phone functionality. Mobile networks can even connect multiple devices to the internet using a single SIM card: This is made possible by special Wi-Fi routers (starting at around 40 euros), into which a SIM card can be inserted. Once the router connects to the internet via the SIM card, other devices such as notebooks or smartphones can easily access the internet connection via Wi-Fi. In this way, a data plan can be a sensible alternative.

Technical terms
Digital Subscriber Line
(loosely translated: digital subscriber line). A digital transmission technology that provides fast broadband Internet access over the telephone network.

Flatrate
Refers to the monthly flat fee for internet access. This allows you to be online around the clock and use as much data as you want.

LTE
Abbreviation for "Long Term Evolution." This current fourth-generation (4G) mobile technology enables download speeds of up to 100 Mbps—at least theoretically. In practice, it's usually significantly less.

Router
A router controls the transition between a local network and the internet. Multiple devices, such as PCs, notebooks, or tablets, can access the internet via a network cable or Wi-Fi. Different devices (PCs, printers, digital cameras) can also be easily networked via the router.

Vectoring
This process uses modern cable splitters and special channel coding to filter interference from adjacent copper cables to enable higher transmission speeds. This allows for speeds of up to 100 Mbps.

Voice over IP
Also called "IP telephony," this term refers to worldwide, real-time voice transmission over a network based on the Internet Protocol (IP).

WiFi
Abbreviation for "Wireless Local Area Network." WLAN allows devices to connect either to each other or to a router that provides an Internet connection. WLAN is based on the IEEE 802.11 transmission standard and currently operates on the 2,4 or 5 GHz bands.