Here is a breakdown of what is available in the Wichita Falls area and what each one actually means for your business:
Fiber Optic Internet
Best for: Any business that relies on the internet to operate. Fiber uses light through glass strands, which means symmetrical speeds (your upload speed matches your download speed), extremely low latency, and almost no downtime. If your business uses cloud software, takes video calls, processes credit card transactions, or runs VoIP phones, fiber is the most reliable option available. Fiber is expanding across Wichita Falls, but availability depends on your specific address.
Coaxial Cable Internet
Best for: Businesses with lighter usage that do not need high upload speeds. Coaxial uses the same copper wiring as cable TV. It can deliver good download speeds, but upload speeds are significantly slower. During peak hours, shared bandwidth on the network can slow things down. Many businesses in Wichita Falls are still on coaxial and may not realize that fiber is now available at their address.
Fixed Wireless
Best for: Businesses in areas where wired service is limited. Fixed wireless uses radio signals from a nearby tower to deliver internet. Speeds and reliability vary depending on your distance from the tower and line of sight. It is a solid backup option or a primary option where fiber and cable have not reached yet.
DSL
Best for: Very light usage only. DSL runs over old telephone lines and is the slowest wired option available. If your business is still on DSL, it is worth checking whether fiber or cable has become available at your address since you last looked.
Hotspot and Satellite
Best for: Temporary setups, backup connections, or locations where no other option exists. These work in a pinch but are not reliable enough for daily business operations due to data caps, high latency, and weather sensitivity.
For Businesses That Cannot Go Down
Some businesses simply cannot afford downtime. Hospitals, emergency services, financial institutions, data centers, and any operation where minutes offline means real consequences. For these businesses, the standard setup is a primary fiber connection backed by a secondary backup connection, sometimes called a failover. If the primary line goes down, the backup kicks in automatically so your operations never stop. The best of the best configuration is to have both your primary and backup on separate fiber lines, ideally from different routes or providers, so you are covered no matter what. These setups typically come with an SLA (Service Level Agreement) that guarantees a specific uptime percentage, usually 99.9% or higher, and holds the provider accountable if they do not meet it. If your business is one where being offline is not an option, this is a conversation worth having.