Cellular networks have vastly improved over the past decade alone. However, a simple internet connection isn’t enough for fields where fast, reliable internet connectivity is crucial, like emergency response, remote site management, event broadcasting and more. Many businesses have started investing in cellular bonding to support their connectivity needs. But what is cellular bonding?
What Is Cellular Bonding?
Cellular bonding, also known as mobile or network bonding, is a force multiplier. Cellular bonding uses algorithms to combine two or more internet connections, aggregating the connections’ bandwidths to provide stronger connectivity and failover protection.Â
This high bandwidth capability can reduce network congestion in high traffic situations. Cellular bonding also adds connection resiliency in remote areas where a reliable internet connection can be rare. Some common applications of cellular bonding include:
- Live streaming video
- Remote work
- E-learning
Benefits of Cellular Bonding
As more businesses go digital to meet changing consumer expectations, internet connectivity is more critical than ever before. Cellular bonding is one way to ensure you maintain connection during mission-critical tasks.
Here are six benefits of cellular bonding that can support your business’s network.
Affordability
Broadcasting live and on location is an expensive endeavor. The bandwidth alone can cost thousands of dollars, not including setting up a hardwired solution or paying a premium for in-house internet to establish a reliable internet connection.
Cellular bonding offers a cost-effective alternative that can provide your business with the power of multiple bonded 4G LTE connections and save thousands of dollars. Having multiple cellular connections can reduce the costs associated with losing an internet connection, such as delayed transmissions or interrupted live streams.
Redundancy and Failover Protection
By combining cellular connections, you are no longer dependent on just one connection at a time. For example, if one connection has poor coverage, the algorithm will automatically shift traffic to other operating connections.
Cellular bonding provides a redundant internet connection that supports high-quality live streaming. With multiple cellular connections to rely on, failover protection ensures that a live stream isn’t interrupted.
Portability
Cellular bonding solutions provide mobility along with reliable connectivity. The portable size of today’s cellular bonding solutions allows you to integrate them with your existing workflows seamlessly.
In broadcasting, where speed, mobility and reliability are crucial for transmitting information, cellular bonding can reduce setup times for live events and remote locations. Compared to traditional live streaming devices, cellular bonding solutions are much more compact, versatile and easy to transport.
Increased Bandwidth
Although the bandwidth of a single internet connection may be enough for everyday use in an area with good coverage, relying on just one connection can leave your organization vulnerable. For example, if your cellular carrier becomes overloaded by high network traffic, your internet connection might slow to a crawl or even drop entirely.
Cellular bonding aggregates multiple cellular connections to increase bandwidth based on demand, enabling better, faster internet connections. For instance, although we can already stream live video with smartphones, they only have a single cellular modem, limiting their bandwidth.Â
However, cellular bonding expands the bandwidth capacity to enable professional, high-quality live streaming for news, entertainment, sports and other live events.
Expanded Coverage
Many providers promise extensive coverage, but the reality is that no single carrier can provide 100 percent coverage everywhere. In applications where you need reliable internet connectivity on the go, one carrier just won’t cut it.
In addition to reducing network congestion, cellular bonding can also reduce the risk of weak or no service in low-coverage areas. For instance, emergency first responders and mobile broadcast journalists often move from one location to another while operating remotely, making a reliable mobile internet connection especially critical.
Carrier Diversity
Cellular bonding connects multiple cellular connections from different carriers to reduce an organization’s dependence on a single carrier, known as carrier diversity.Â
Carrier diversity improves connection resiliency so that if the connection drops or the available bandwidth decreases, data is automatically rerouted and transmitted through another cellular connection in the bonded link.
For applications that depend on wireless internet connectivity, multiple cellular modems can combine cellular connections, increasing bandwidth and providing greater connection resiliency than relying on only one carrier.
Stay Connected Anywhere With FUSION Cellular and Satellite Services
Although cellular bonding offers the combined speed and reliability of multiple cellular carriers in one, there are other solutions for ensuring your business stays connected to the internet.
Consumer demand and environmental conditions constantly affect cellular connections. Plus, monitoring multiple carriers and switching between them to maintain connectivity is a time-consuming, frustrating process.Â
However, FUSION technology allows you to access satellite, cellular and FirstNet seamlessly as the presence and quality of available networks fluctuate.
When cellular networks are impossible to access, FUSION sources alternative carriers or satellite networks to provide the necessary connectivity.FUSION provides the highest quality speeds, best connections and no hassles. To learn more, contact us today.