GuideNetwork · 6 min
Satellite or 5G: which backup line should each site get?
Pick per site: 5G where the signal's strong, satellite where nothing else reaches, a second wired line where uptime counts. Never the first line's network.
The Clectiv team ·
A backup line only helps if it doesn't fail the way the first line did. Pick it site by site, not once for the company. The plan makes each pick, and one contract keeps dozens of sites from becoming dozens of vendors.
What does a backup line have to survive?#
Whatever took down the first line. A cut cable, a carrier outage, a storm, a power loss. If the backup shares the cause, it fails with the first line. A second line from the same carrier, in the same conduit or on the same network, can go down with it.
So the backup needs a different path. That means a different carrier, a different route, or a different technology. Power is the quiet one: a backup that needs electricity the outage took out is no backup, so ask about batteries for the router and the dish.
Two more things to decide for each site:
- What has to keep running. Card payments, phones, the link to your systems. A backup is often slower than the main line, so it carries the essentials.
- How the switch happens. Failover is the move from the main line to the backup. Does it happen on its own, and how fast?
Before you call anyone#
Tell Clectiv AI which sites can't go dark and what must keep running there. Clectiv AI then runs the process, putting it out to bid with the providers that fit so they compete, and you choose. Ask your carrier first and you may get a backup on the same network as the line it protects.
5G, fixed wireless or satellite: what fits which site?#
Each one is a different kind of second path, and the plan picks per site. Here's what each one is.
| Option | What it is | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | A cellular modem that takes over when the main line fails | The signal inside the building, not just outside |
| Fixed wireless (FWA) | Internet over a carrier's cellular network, sold as a service in its own right | Which carrier's network, and whether it's different from your main line's |
| Satellite (LEO) | A dish linking to satellites in low earth orbit, close enough to the ground to give lower delay than older satellite | A clear view of the sky, and power at the dish |
| Second wired line | Another fiber or cable line, from a different carrier | Whether its route is truly separate |
T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T all sell 5G backup or fixed wireless internet to businesses.
Satellite (LEO) comes through the carriers that resell it. Granite, CommandLink and Zayo resell or manage it, and GTT has expanded into it. Amazon Leo is another name in LEO satellite.
These are network providers we bring to the table, and Clectiv AI runs the process with them for you: start a project.
Other buyers already paved this. Clectiv AI runs the process we've run for teams like yours, so you start where they ended up. And the plan goes to these providers directly, for the best pricing, terms and contract we can get.
Write down each site's signal, power and sky view with Clectiv AI. The plan then says what each site gets, and the providers that fit price it.
How do we run backup at dozens of sites without dozens of contracts?#
Put every backup line into one plan, and ask for one contract to manage the mix. Some providers run 5G, satellite and wired backup together: one contract, one bill, one number to call, whichever network each site uses.
A backup nobody tests fails when you need it. Decide who monitors each line, and how often it's tested. SD-WAN, the software that runs a site's network over several lines at once, can handle the switch between them.
Every proposal should answer four things:
- Which network carries the backup at each site, and whether it's different from the main line's.
- What switches over, and how fast.
- Who owns and monitors the equipment.
- How it's billed: per site, per month, or by data used.
Clectiv AI's plan asks the rest, from the equipment at each site to who gets the alert when a line drops.
Common questions#
Is 5G good enough as a backup line?#
What's LEO satellite?#
Can backup run on the same carrier as the main line?#
What's failover?#
Do we need backup at every site?#
How does Clectiv AI get this done?#
Open Clectiv AI first. Tell it how many sites you have and which can't go dark. It scopes the backup with you and writes your plan: every site, what has to keep running, the line it has now, and which second path suits it.
Then the Clectiv team takes your plan to the carriers and the wireless and satellite providers that fit, all at once, through our partner network of 620+ providers. Real bids come back, the providers compete for your business, the team pushes on terms, and you choose.
Companies like yours made this climb before. Clectiv AI runs the process we've run for them, so you start where they finished. The providers that fit get the plan directly, and you get the best pricing, terms and contract we can.
It's free to you, and it moves in days, not months. For all of network, see the network page.
Rethinking MPLS too? Read how MPLS, SD-WAN and SASE work together.
Sources and method. No prices appear in this guide. Provider names are examples of who plays in 5G and satellite, from Clectiv's provider directory, not a ranking. Amazon Leo is named only as a company in LEO satellite.