Is Fiber Internet Best for Your Home? Decoding Speed, Cost and More

Of all the ways to get online, a fiber internet connection is the fastest — by a long ways. For that reason, plus overall better reliability, more and more internet users have begun making the switch to fiber. The Fiber Broadband Association estimates that a little over 76 million homes now use a fiber internet connection, representing a 13% growth in the past year.

If you’ve ever struggled with speeds from cable, 5G, satellite or (God forbid) DSL internet, you’ve probably considered switching internet providers for a faster, more cost-efficient one. So, should you make the switch to fiber?

The answer is complicated and depends primarily on the internet providers in your area. Fast speeds alone don’t automatically make fiber the best option for every household. While fiber may be the fastest internet connection type, it’s one of the least available nationwide. Prices, availability, fees and other considerations will determine fiber’s efficiency for your home internet needs and budget.

Plus, most households don’t exceed an average of 564 megabits per second in download speeds, according to the latest data from OpenVault. So, while you could be due for a speed tier update, especially if you have remote workers or gamers in the house, you may not need the 1,000Mbps speeds offered by some fiber providers.

Still, fiber internet is pretty marvelous. A fiber-optic internet connection relies on the speed of light to transmit data, making it incredibly efficient and able to deliver symmetrical download and upload speeds — a luxury other internet connection types have yet to offer.

We’re still getting acquainted with all the possibilities of the technology, but it has already had a tremendous impact on the way we communicate and use the internet. 

Fiber internet is a connection that you’ll find CNET recommending again and again, provided it’s available to you at a competitive price. Have doubts or questions about fiber? Let’s explore what makes this internet connection so popular.

What is fiber internet exactly?

Fiber internet gets its name from the fiber cables it relies on to get you online. The cables are made up of thin, long strands of glass or plastic encased in layers of cladding and coating that transmit data through light signals across long distances.

Technically, the speed of light used to transmit this data is reduced by 30% because of the refraction that occurs within the cables, but the speeds are still very fast. All that may seem baffling, and it was to me, too, when I first learned about fiber internet, but fiber cables have long been used to get us online.

In fact, you’re reading this right now because of the lightning-fast fiber cables under the ocean, powering your home internet connection — whether it’s fiber or not.

What does all that mean for you? The speeds with which fiber-optic cables can relay data means you can get symmetrical download and upload speeds on any speed tier, even up to a 50-gigabit (or 50,000Mbps) plan. Compared to the upload speeds of most cable internet providers, which usually range between 20 to 50Mbps, that’s a vast improvement. 

You should also know that fiber cables are very expensive, as is the installation process for a fiber network. Laying down fiber-optic cables requires extensive planning and funding. That means it may be difficult for some providers to extend a fiber network to your neighborhood, especially if you’re in a rural area or just outside a big city. 

How does fiber internet get installed?

Because fiber internet requires an existing infrastructure or fiber network to work, the speeds you get depend on which fiber internet provider has already been active in your area. Occasionally, fiber providers will share each other’s networks to mitigate costs. 

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

Do fiber internet providers offer competitive pricing?

The costs of fiber internet 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 a few cheap fiber internet providers, like Frontier Fiber and Ziply Fiber, which start at $30 for 200Mbps and $20 for 100Mbps a month, respectively. 

If you look at the cost per Mbps, fiber is often the most cost-efficient internet connection type, despite the higher average price tags. Prices also don’t typically increase year after year as they do for some cable providers. For example, Spectrum and AT&T Fiber both offer 1,000Mbps for $70 a month and $80 a month, respectively. In this case, Spectrum offers a better deal, at least in terms of introductory pricing. After yearly price increases, that $70 will jump to around $100 monthly in a year or two, averaging 10 cents per Mbps. AT&T Fiber won’t do that. Your price will stay at $80 a month or a cost per Mbps of 8 cents. note that AT&T Fiber offers 1,000Mbps upload speeds, lower latency and more overall reliability than Spectrum’s 35Mbps upload speed for that tier.

Google Fiber, a more expensive fiber provider, starts at $70 a month for 1,000Mbps and only goes up from there; but the cost per Mbps reveals you’re getting pretty good value for the offered speeds. Paying $125 a month for 5,000Mbps may seem like a lot, but that price comes down to around 3 cents per Mbps. 

Again, consider first how much internet speed you actually need, so you can make the best use of your dollar. Not all of us require 5,000Mbps, but for those who work at home, are avid gamers and have multiple busy internet users in the house, a multi-gig internet connection may be the way to go.