Introduction

We all rely on the internet. We use it to stream our media, video chat with family and friends, work and learn from home, order groceries, connect home security systems, and much, much more. The internet has arguably become the backbone of society. Education, business and essential services like healthcare increasingly rely on the internet. For this reason, fast and reliable internet is becoming a necessity as opposed to a luxury. The technology that provides the speed and reliability needed today—and in the future—is fiber.

What is fiber internet?

Fiber internet is the first infrastructure created specifically for the internet. It uses fiber-optic cable for data transmission. It’s fast, reliable and has huge capacity for future growth. All your connected devices work the same as they ever did—just with much faster internet access and way more bandwidth available to everyone in your home or business.

The result is a completely new online experience. Uploads and downloads are often nearly instantaneous. There’s no buffering when you stream video (even at 4K), crystal-clear video calls are now possible, and gaming is lag free.

Fiber vs. cable

Cable internet uses copper wiring, which makes up the infrastructure used to connect homes to telecommunications networks for landline telephones and cable TV. This same wiring was used in the early days of the internet because it was already in place and, to be fair, was up to the task of moving the relatively small amounts of data being transmitted decades ago.

However, copper wiring is simply not up to the job today when it comes to the internet. The speeds it can offer are limited, and lack of bandwidth means considerable slowdowns when more users are on the network. Unlike fiber, copper wiring is affected by bad weather and electrical interference, so it is far less reliable as well.

In comparison, the extremely high bandwidth capacity of fiber internet translates to lightning-fast speeds and no slowdowns no matter how many people are online in your neighborhood or home. And since signals aren’t disrupted by poor weather or interference, outages and dropouts are rare.

How fast is fiber internet?

Let’s use Ting as an example. Ting Internet offers speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps or one gigabit per second (which is why it’s called “gigabit internet”), putting it among the fastest internet available. We get it though—sounds impressive, but what does it actually mean?

Well, using an average cable internet connection, a large file like a movie might take about 30 minutes to download. With a gigabit fiber connection, that same file would be downloaded in less than 30 seconds. The same cable connection would have 32% of its bandwidth used by a video chat (so if a couple of people in your home are chatting at the same time, you could start seeing issues). A gigabit fiber internet connection would have just 0.4% of its bandwidth used by that video chat.

Fiber internet isn’t just faster. It’s a whole new online experience.

Types of fiber (not all fiber is created equal)

Fiber-to-the-node (FTTN)

Fiber is run to a street cabinet or “node.” This node may be miles from the fiber connection's final destination. Homes are then connected to the node with existing copper wiring. As a result, the customer’s internet speed is limited by the copper wire’s capabilities.

Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH)

This is the best fiber internet around! FTTH uses end-to-end fiber-optic cable from the network to your home or business. This is the type of internet Ting offers, allowing you upload and download speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps with a wired connection.

Central office: Where the optical signal gets distributed to a whole area.

Cabinet: A network terminal that serves a number of homes.

Junction box: An access hatch where fiber splits off to individual homes.

Optical network terminal (ONT): Where fiber connects with an Ethernet cable.

Router: That thing that makes hard-wired internet wireless.

Symmetrical fiber internet

With Ting’s symmetrical fiber internet, you can upload as fast as you download. Other providers might offer a decent download speed, but are often lacking when it comes to the upload part. Why is upload important? It lets you push to the internet as much as you pull from it. That means contributors and innovators can add files to the cloud and work more efficiently, and two-way activities like gaming and video chatting don’t suffer.

Real-world advantages of fiber

Streaming TV

Streaming is better with fiber internet. With Ting, there’s no lag, interruptions or annoying buffering to deal with—even during a live game or show. With a strong Wi-Fi connection in your home, you can stream on multiple devices and never miss a second of the action. Considering you can now stream all your local news, sports and live TV, perfect HD streaming means you can cut the cord once and for all and save on cable bills.

Find out more at ting.com/streaming-tv.

Gaming

Online gaming continues to become more engaging and impressive— but this requires better internet with more bandwidth. For a smooth gaming experience, you need high-bandwidth internet with low ping (the time between sending and receiving data). That’s why avid gamers swear by fiber internet—consistent no-lag, low-ping gaming.

Real estate value

Yep—fiber internet can actually increase the value of your home. One study showed this increase to be as much as 3.1%. Similarly, as a landlord, having either an active fiber connection or a property wired for fiber internet would justify requesting a bit more in rent.

Smart homes

While our current smart devices don’t require a huge amount of bandwidth, the reliability of your connection makes a huge difference. Outages, dropouts and slowdowns adversely affect the operation of your connected home. Fiber’s consistency and reliability make it the right choice for those with smart devices and connected homes.

While some devices require less bandwidth than others, things start to add up due to the number of devices in our homes using the internet—which may be more than we think. According to a 2023 Ting survey, there is a 68% gap between the number of connected devices households think they have and the number of devices they actually own. Once again, fiber internet’s greater bandwidth prevents any issues.

Fiber is future proof

Getting fiber internet gives you an incredibly powerful connection now but also means you’re prepared for the future. It recognizes our evolving use of the internet and gives us the ability to grow along with it. As technologies that require greater bandwidth are developed, fiber internet users will already have a connection that supports it.

Fiber is better for businesses

The way businesses use the internet has changed rapidly in the last 20, 10 and even five years. Today, startups and tech incubators are doing more with the internet than ever before.

Fiber is the internet businesses need. Video meetings are seamless, and large files can be shared to the cloud in seconds. More than that, fiber helps small businesses stay competitive and innovate for tomorrow. Another consideration is the fact more Americans are telecommuting and working from home. To “make sure that productivity and efficiency of these employees doesn’t suffer, they will need better internet.

The availability of fiber internet can even draw new businesses to towns and create jobs. Rather than a slow internet connection that stifles an entrepreneur’s vision, fiber creates a landscape where anything is possible.

Upgrade to fiber with Ting

It’s clear that fiber internet is the type of connection we need now and in the future. There’s no better place to start than with Ting. With lightning-fast gigabit upload and download speeds, fiber-to-the-home connections, and world-class customer support, you’ll enjoy some of the best fiber internet available from a community-minded internet provider.

Not sure if fiber is for you? Try Ting free for one month and decide for yourself! Just use promo code FIBERUPGRADE at checkout. See if Ting is available in your neighborhood.