Verizon Bumps FiOS Upload Speeds To ‘Symmetrically’ Match Download Speeds
Those who place a high value on in-home Internet have long envied the portion of the United States population within a Verizon FiOS footprint. While the fiber-based service stopped expanding to new areas years back, Verizon has continued to push its existing areas to new heights. Now, it's doing so once again, and we're certainly hopeful that it triggers a cascade of followers throughout the ISP industry -- but, of course, we aren't holding our breath.
In order to better compete with cable companies that are boosting Internet speeds, Verizon has announced plans to offer symmetrical connections. In other words, uploads will match downloads. This is a watershed moment for U.S.-based home Internet in many ways. Far too often, consumers just pay attention to the advertised download rates, when in fact, the upload rate matters a great deal. 20Mbps down does you little good when you need to upload a 900MB home video to a relative far away; it's the upload that counts.
Going forward, FiOS users will get free upgrades on the upload side. In other words, those paying for a 50/25 service (down/up) will soon see 50/50 at no extra charge. It's estimated that 95% of FiOS customers will be eligible by the end of the year, and it sounds as if updates will be starting imminently.
The six million FiOS users just received yet another bragging right, and the rest of us just received yet another reason to relocate.
In order to better compete with cable companies that are boosting Internet speeds, Verizon has announced plans to offer symmetrical connections. In other words, uploads will match downloads. This is a watershed moment for U.S.-based home Internet in many ways. Far too often, consumers just pay attention to the advertised download rates, when in fact, the upload rate matters a great deal. 20Mbps down does you little good when you need to upload a 900MB home video to a relative far away; it's the upload that counts.
Going forward, FiOS users will get free upgrades on the upload side. In other words, those paying for a 50/25 service (down/up) will soon see 50/50 at no extra charge. It's estimated that 95% of FiOS customers will be eligible by the end of the year, and it sounds as if updates will be starting imminently.
The six million FiOS users just received yet another bragging right, and the rest of us just received yet another reason to relocate.
