Questions about Fiber Internet? Here’s everything I learned about Fiber Internet after writing about it daily

Fiber internet it uses the speed of light to connect, making it the fastest internet connection your money can buy by far.

What does this mean for accessibility or affordability?

When I started writing about the internet, my eyes lit up trying to understand the difference between cable internet and fiber internet (and also what they are Wifi, Ethernet and 5G?).

It didn’t take long for me to catch the buzz around fiber, not just in the broadband news, but among ISPs and even my neighbors. Everyone wants the fastest (and most efficient) Internet connection. I quickly discovered that fiber speeds leave the cable, 5G fixed wirelesssatellite internet and average DSL speeds in the dust.

Fiber is one of the most popular internet service connections among customers across the country. If people who buy fiber are happy with their internet service why don’t we just recommend fiber internet to everyone? Why bother with other types of internet connection?

The answer is simple: fast speeds and customer satisfaction don’t automatically make fiber the best option for every household. Pricing, availability, fees and other details influence how effective fiber can be for your broadband needs and budget. Additionally, most households don’t average more than 600 megabits per second in download speeds, according to the latest data from OpenVault, so you may not need the 1,000 Mbps or 5,000 Mbps speeds offered by some providers. fiber.

Fiber internet is still pretty awesome. Because a fiber optic Internet connection relies on the speed of light to transmit data, we still know the full potential of the technology. However, it has already had a tremendous impact on the way we communicate and use the internet.

It’s an Internet connection you’ll find CNET recommending again and again, provided it’s available to you. If you’re like me and have questions about what fiber broadband is and how it works, let’s talk about how fiber internet works as the fastest internet connection and whether it’s a worthwhile investment.

What exactly is fiber internet?

Fiber internet gets its name from the fiber cables it relies on to connect you. Cables are made up of long, thin strands of glass or plastic covered in layers of plating and coating that transmit data via light signals over long distances.

Technically, the speed of light used to transmit this data is reduced by 30% due to the refraction that occurs inside the cables, but the speeds are still very high. It may all seem confusing and it was to me, but fiber cables have been used for a long time to connect us.

You’re reading this right now because of the lightning-fast fiber cables under the ocean that power your internet connection – whether it’s fiber or not.

What does all this mean to you? This means you get symmetrical download and upload speeds on any speed tier, even up to a 50 gigabit (or 50,000 Mbps) plan. Compared to the upload speeds of most cable ISPs, which typically range between 20 and 50 Mbps, this is a huge improvement.

You should also know that fiber cables are very expensive, as is the installation process for a fiber network. This means that it can be difficult for some providers to extend a fiber network to your neighborhood, especially if you’re in a rural area or even outside of a big city.

Because fiber internet requires an existing fiber infrastructure or network to work, the speeds you get depend on the fiber internet provider that was already active in your area. Occasionally, fiber providers will share networks with each other to reduce the costs.

There are a few different ways an internet provider will connect a fiber network to your home, depending on your existing infrastructure. Note that the only true fiber internet connection is a direct or Fiber to Home connection.

• Fiber to the home: Fiber optic cables run directly from the network to your home. This is the fastest option.
• Fiber to the curb: If your household can’t be wired directly for fiber, fiber cables connect with a coaxial cable from a utility pole or closet, which will inevitably slow down the connection, but is still pretty fast.
• Fiber to the neighborhood: This fiber internet connection, also known as Fiber to the Node, runs from a connection hub or node utility pole. Your home is then connected to the network via coaxial cables, which means it travels the farthest of the three options and is the slowest connection type of the three.

Despite the direct fiber connection that may be available to you, fiber internet is installed using a small utility box or optical network terminal that a technician installs either inside or outside your home. The ONT is connected to the network of fiber and converts light signals into electrical signals, giving you the fastest internet connection on the block.

Is fiber internet the best internet connection?

There’s a lot to consider before calling fiber the “best” type of Internet connection. Fiber is certainly the fastest, but it is also the most limited type of internet connection in terms of availability.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, less than half of the population is connected to the Internet via fiber. Compared to the availability of cable, which covers 82% of the population, fiber providers have some catching up to do.

Fiber Internet costs also determine whether it’s a good option for your home. There’s no doubt that fiber Internet has higher starting prices than cable, with many starting prices averaging around $50 per month. There are some cheap fiber internet providers like Frontier Fiber and Ziply Fiber that start at $30 for 200 Mbps and $20 for 100 Mbps per month respectively.

If you look at cost per Mbpsfiber is often the most cost-effective type of internet connection, and prices don’t typically increase year-over-year like they do for some cable providers. For example, Spectrum and AT&T fiber both offer 1,000 Mbps for $80 per month, or 8 cents per Mbps. Spectrum will raise that price to about $110 monthly in a year or two. AT&T Fiber will not. Also note that AT&T Fiber offers 1,000 Mbps upload speeds, lower latency, and higher overall reliability than Spectrum’s 35 Mbps upload speed for that tier.

Even for Google Fiberone of the most expensive fiber providers, starting at $70 per month for 1,000 Mbps and only going up from there, the cost per Mbps reveals that you’re getting pretty good value for the speeds on offer. Paying $125 a month for 5,000 Mbps may seem like a lot, but that price breaks down to about 3 cents per Mbps.

Again, consider how much internet speed you need first so you get the most bang for your buck. Not all of us need 5,000 Mbps, but for those who work at home, are avid gamers, and have multiple users internet busy at home, a multi-gig internet connection may be the way to go.

Finally, fiber internet has the best customer service track record compared to other types of internet service. The American Customer Satisfaction Index indicates positive trends for fiber internet providers over the past few years. AT&T Fiber topped ACSI’s 2024 satisfaction benchmark with a score of 80, while the lowest score came from Optimum Fiber at 66. For context, scores for non-fiber Internet providers (DSL, wireless landline and cable) ranged from a low of 56 to a high of 76, owned by T-Mobile Home Internet.

Data from JD Poweranother customer satisfaction researcher, notes that customers were more satisfied with wireless Internet overall in 2023, although they may not have separated fixed wireless offerings from fiber offerings from a single provider. For example, Verizon offers 5G home internet as well as fiber through Verizon Fios, although there are no separate categories in the data. However, AT&T, Frontier Fiber, Verizon and Google Fiber topped all regional surveys.

Which internet providers offer fiber?

There are more than 1,400 fiber internet providers in the country, according to the latest FCC report. Most of these suppliers are local. Only about seven providers serve more than 1% to 2% of the population, with Verizon Fios and AT&T Fiber covering the most ground with 9% and 12% coverage, respectively.

Conclusion: Is fiber internet worth it?

The answer to this question will depend on several factors, but perhaps the most important is whether fiber is available in your area. If you can get fiber, it’s absolutely worth it. You may not need multi-gigabit tiers for over $100 a month, but even the lower 300Mbps download/300Mbps upload tiers beat the speeds offered by cable, fixed wireless providers, and especially DSL. Fiber usually offers unlimited data, as well as no contracts or monthly equipment fees (although this varies by provider). Fiber internet is not the only solution for our broadband needs. Rolling out the expansion of fiber networks and improving the affordability of multi-gig tiers are some of the biggest priorities, but while we wait for those improvements, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an internet connection that’s as fast as the speeds you’re getting from fiber.

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