Cable vs. fiber: What's the difference?

Question

Accepted Answer

Cable internet uses the same coaxial cables to transmit information as your TV—in fact, most cable internet networks use existing cable television infrastructure to function. These coaxial cables are made of copper wires that send data via electrical currents. Most cable internet wires begin as an aerial (above ground) network, before being buried closer to your home or neighborhood.

Fiber internet also utilizes cables—fiber-optic ones, that is. Instead of using copper to transmit information, fiber cables are made of very small, flexible strands of glass or plastic. This makeup allows fiber cables to send information as bursts of light, rather than electricity. Most fiber internet networks are entirely buried.

These differences may seem small, but they affect everything from your internet speeds to how reliable your connection is at a given time, which we'll explore further below.

Cable vs. fiber internet: Speeds

Cable Fiber Avg. Download Speed 20-500Mbps 250Mbps-1Gbps Avg. Upload Speed 5-50Mbps 250Mbps-1Gbps Latency 100ms 17ms

Fiber internet is significantly faster than cable. Because fiber-optic cables transmit data via light signals, those signals are able to travel through the glass filaments much longer and farther than electricity does through copper, resulting in lower latency (more on this below). The result is super high-speed internet, with download speeds up to 1Gbps and equal (or near-equal) upload speeds—something cable typically doesn't deliver.

Still, cable internet is no slouch—its speeds offer a major upgrade from DSL, and are usually plenty fast for most households. Depending on how robust your ISP's network is, a cable connection can reach anywhere from 10Mbps to 1Gbps, though gig speeds are not the norm with a cable connection. Instead, you'll more often see high-speed plans ranging anywhere from 25Mbps to 500Mbps, with upload speeds around 5-50Mbps.

Other internet speed factors

Another factor in internet speed is the number of people sharing your connection at once. As a rule, the fewer the users, the faster your internet will be. With cable, your internet service provider (ISP) typically sends your signal to a central node, which then connects anywhere from 100 to 2,000 homes, depending on the size of your city and neighborhood. With fiber, on the other hand, your ISP runs the main fiber cable straight to your street, if not directly to your house—meaning you only have to share it with a few homes, if at all.

Lastly in the battle of cable vs. fiber: latency. Latency is the time delay between when you send information through the internet to when you receive a response. Because information travels through fiber cables using light signals, that delay is exponentially less: an average of 17 milliseconds (ms), compared to 100ms with cable internet.

Cable vs. fiber internet: Availability & reliability

Cable is one of the most widely available internet connections. It utilizes the existing cable infrastructure built for television service. Basically, if you can get cable TV in your area, you can also get cable internet.

However, because cable internet is reliant upon electrical systems to transmit data, it's also subject to the same service interruptions caused by power outages. Additionally, its aerial infrastructure means it's more exposed to the elements, leading to a higher risk of damage or breakage. For you, that means a bigger chance of your internet going out.

Fiber, on the other hand, offers higher reliability because its cables are almost always grounded and protected from the elements. Power outages also won't affect fiber internet, since it doesn’t rely on electricity to function.

The downside: Fiber is still not available as everywhere, making it much less available than cable. Fiber depends on a highly technical—and costly—infrastructure, making it more complicated and expensive to build out. Google Fiber was the first to deploy a fiber-optic internet network in 2010 and stood alone for a number of years.

Since then, more internet service providers like Verizon Fios and AT&T have embraced fiber internet, slowly building their own networks and increasing its availability to consumers nationwide. But for now, fiber is still only present in select areas.

Fiber vs. Cable internet: Cost

Because of its expensive and limited infrastructure, fiber internet used to be much more expensive than cable—but in recent years, that gap has shrunk significantly. AT&T's Internet 1000 plan starts at just $60/month—on par with Charter Spectrum's cable Internet 300Mbps plan. If you don't need gigabit speeds, you can find an even better deal, like Verizon Fios' 300/300Mbps fiber plan for $49.99/month.

Pros & cons of cable vs. fiber internet

ProsCons Cable Internet

More variety in plans = higher affordability
Widely available nationwide
Plans can be cheaper than fiber

Not as fast or reliable as fiber
Higher latency
Slowdowns are more frequent during peak usage

Fiber Internet

Carries large amounts of data faster than cable
More reliable service
Dedicated lines = no slowdowns due to shared usage

Less availability than cable
Plans can be more expensive
Delicate cables are expensive and difficult to install

Should I get fiber or cable internet?

The answer to this question is highly dependent on whether fiber internet is even available in your area—if fiber-optic cables have yet to be laid in your area, cable is your best choice among the other broadband internet options. If you have both options, here's our assessment on whether cable or fiber internet is right for you.

Cable is best for:

Most average internet users who don't need lightning-fast speeds
Those looking for decent speeds on a budget
Customers who want to save by bundling a cable TV package with an internet plan

Fiber is best for:

Households with many users and simultaneously connected devices
Power-users who need or want ultra-fast download speeds
Those who need equal upload speeds (for video conferencing, live gaming, etc.)

Home internet plans

When shopping for home internet, make sure to check for any data caps associated with each plan in addition to its speed and price. And most importantly, make sure the plan is available in your area! You can check using our internet search tool—just enter your address to see only the plans local to you.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the most popular plans for both cable and fiber internet to get a feel for the perfect plan that fits your needs.

Provider	AT&T
Speed	Up to 1000 Mbps
Data	Unlimited
Connection	Fiber
Type	No Term Contract
Current Deal	Get a $200 AT&T Visa® Reward Card with purchase of AT&T Fiber.
Total Price	$60 per month Price after discounts: $25/mo for new customers, and $10/mo w/ eligible Autopay & Paperless bill. Monthly State Cost Recovery charge applies in NV, OH, TX. One time install fee may apply.
	View Plan

	Pros	Cons
Cable Internet	More variety in plans = higher affordability Widely available nationwide Plans can be cheaper than fiber	Not as fast or reliable as fiber Higher latency Slowdowns are more frequent during peak usage
Fiber Internet	Carries large amounts of data faster than cable More reliable service Dedicated lines = no slowdowns due to shared usage	Less availability than cable Plans can be more expensive Delicate cables are expensive and difficult to install

#1	Xfinity	Xfinity Cable Connection Speed 300 Mbps $40/mo Deal: Get simple, seamless WiFi with 99% reliability. $40/mo for 5 years. No contracts, no data caps + equipment included.	100%	View Plan
#2	Spectrum	Spectrum Cable Connection Speed 1000 Mbps $70/mo	73%	View Plan
#3	WOW!	WOW! Cable Connection Speed 300 Mbps $20/mo	35%	View Plan
#4	Optimum	Optimum Cable Connection Speed 300 Mbps $25/mo	12%	View Plan
#5	Breezeline	Breezeline Cable Connection Speed 100 Mbps $20/mo	4%	View Plan

#1	AT&T	AT&T Fiber Connection Speed 300 Mbps $35/mo Deal: Get up to $32/mo savings off your internet bill for the first 12 months.	100%	View Plan
#2	Frontier	Frontier Fiber Connection Speed 500 Mbps $29.99/mo	70%	View Plan
#3	Xfinity	Xfinity Fiber Connection Speed 1200 Mbps $100/mo	67%	View Plan
#4	Kinetic	Kinetic Fiber Connection Speed 100 Mbps $24.99/mo	56%	View Plan
#5	Ziply	Ziply Fiber Connection Speed 100 Mbps $35/mo	30%	View Plan

Cable vs. Fiber Internet