Internet connectivity has become one of the most critical services in modern business.
Most businesses now rely on cloud-based platforms for email, files, accounting, phones, payments, remote access, collaboration and customer service. When the connection goes down, it is not just “the internet” that stops. Large parts of the business can stop with it.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics tracks business technology use across Australian organisations, including internet and cloud-based technology adoption, showing how central digital systems have become to daily operations.
The Day Your Internet Goes Down
It often starts with one sentence: “The internet is down.”
Then the real impact appears.
Phones stop working. EFTPOS terminals cannot process payments. Staff lose access to cloud systems. Teams calls drop out. Emails stop sending. Customers cannot get through.
For some businesses, even a short outage can be expensive. Atlassian cites Gartner research estimating the average cost of downtime at around US$5,600 per minute, while noting that the real figure varies heavily depending on the size and type of business.
Most business owners believe they are protected because they have a backup internet service.
The problem? Many backups are not actually independent.
The Common Mistake: Putting All Your Connectivity with One Provider
A common setup looks like this:
Primary connection: NBN or fibre via Carrier A
Backup connection: 4G or 5G SIM via Carrier A
At first glance, this looks sensible. If the primary service fails, the mobile connection takes over.
But what happens if the issue is not the access service itself?
Carrier outages can happen because of:
- core network failures
- routing issues
- exchange faults
- authentication problems
- DNS issues
- major infrastructure faults
If both your primary and backup connections rely on the same carrier network, they may both be affected by the same incident.
This is not just a theoretical risk. ACMA introduced stronger outage communication rules for telcos after major service disruptions, requiring providers to keep customers and the public better informed during significant and major network outages.
A backup only works if it stays online when the primary connection fails.
What True Network Redundancy Looks Like
True redundancy is not about having two internet services.
It is about having two independent paths to the internet.
For example:
- Primary connection: Fibre via Carrier A
- Backup connection: 5G via Carrier B
If Carrier A has a major outage, Carrier B gives the business a separate path to keep operating.
This is often called network diversity. In plain English, it means your backup should not be stuck behind the same failure point as your main connection.
NIST’s contingency planning guidance for information systems includes alternate telecommunications services as part of continuity planning, reinforcing the importance of having communications options available when primary telecommunications capabilities are unavailable.
The goal is not two connections. The goal is two separate ways to stay connected.
Why Speed Is Not the Only Thing That Matters
Speed is usually the first thing businesses compare. But while it matters, resilience often matters more.
A slightly slower backup connection that still works during an outage is far more valuable than a fast backup that fails at the same time as your main service.
Many businesses spend time choosing their primary internet service, then treat the backup as a box to tick.
That is where the risk sits.
How Much Downtime Could Your Business Afford?
This is not just an IT question. It is a business risk question.
Ask yourself:
- Could your team work without internet for half a day?
- What would happen to customer calls?
- Could you still process payments?
- Could staff access cloud systems?
- Would remote workers stay productive?
- What would the impact be on customer service?
- What would downtime cost in lost wages, lost revenue and lost trust?
ACMA research into Australian business telco experiences found that among businesses that experienced outages or loss of service for business internet, three quarters reported the impact as either major or moderate.
That is why connectivity planning needs to be treated as operational planning.
Is Your Backup Actually Protecting You?
Most businesses assume they are protected because they have a backup connection in place.
But if both services rely on the same carrier, your backup may disappear at exactly the moment you need it most.
True redundancy is reducing risk.
At MyNet, we help businesses design connectivity solutions built around resilience, availability and business continuity.
We can review your current setup, identify potential single points of failure and help determine whether your backup connection is providing the protection you think it is.
When your primary service fails, your backup should be the last thing you are worried about.
