Why multiple providers doesn’t always mean geographic diversity

When partners talk about network resilience, the conversation often turns to buying multiple circuits from different providers. Why? Because doing so ensures you have two separate lines from two (or three) providers which, in theory ensures uptime if one were to go down.  

Whilst that sounds sensible, purchasing from multiple providers does not guarantee service resilience or geographic diversity. In many cases, those connections still depend on the same underlying infrastructure.

The hidden problem with multiple providers

Using two or three providers can feel safer, but many circuits rely on shared ducts, shared routes, or the same upstream networks. Therefore, when there is an outage, those connections can fail at the same time, leaving customers with no alternatives.

It also adds operational complexity. Multiple SLAs, different support teams, and slower fault resolution all make incidents harder to manage when time matters.  

What we mean by ‘true’ route diversity

• Data centre diversity - Multiple Points of Presence across the UK and Europe. Your service is live in more than one location at the same time.  
• If one data centre has an issue - traffic switches automatically to another with no manual intervention and no downtime.
• Geographical diversity - Vorboss owns and operates its network end-to-end. Routes are physically separate, not just logically different. There are no shared ducts or hidden dependencies.  
• If there is a local outage - traffic is rerouted instantly across a genuinely separate path.
• Internet route diversity - Connected to four Tier 1 transit providers. Traffic is not dependent on a single upstream.  
• If one provider has a problem - routes are withdrawn and traffic moves automatically to another, without impact to users.

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