What is Symmetrical Internet?
Symmetrical internet has matching upload and download speeds. Let's say you have gigabit internet from a provider like Phonoscope Fiber. That means you get a whopping 1000 Mbps download speed AND the same 1000 Mbps upload speed. You'll notice the benefit of the fastest speeds possible to do upload-intensive tasks like making video calls, posting content online and on social media, uploading files to the cloud, and live streaming on your favorite platform.
Download Speed
Your download speed determines how quickly your site loads or your video streams. The faster your download speed, the better your experience watching a video on YouTube or browsing social media.
Upload Speed
Upload speed measures how fast you can post things on the internet and put files in the cloud. The faster your upload speed, the quicker you can share a pic on Instagram or post a video on TikTok.
How It Works
Fiber provides a connection using bundled strands of fiber-optic cable. Photon signals bounce through the wires at (almost) the speed of light carrying enormous amounts of data. At higher data rates (like gigabit), electromagnetic interference makes communication unreliable at long distances on the copper wiring used for cable and DSL internet. Most cable companies advertise only their download speeds and bury their pathetic upload speeds in the fine print. With all glass and plastic wiring, Fiber internet delivers 100x the speed of traditional broadband upload and download.
To put it in Houston terms, imagine your daily commute. What if you were allowed to drive 70 mph to work, but on the way home, you could only go five mph? Even Dante couldn't imagine so horrific a circle of hell! If you can download and browse the internet at quick, responsive speeds, why wouldn't you want to upload files and send attachments just as fast?
Who It's For
More and more people significantly benefit from symmetrical internet. That's because many people frequently upload PDFs to share in the cloud or post videos online on YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram Reels. Don't be "that guy" on the Zoom call whose video keeps getting blocky and freezing. Fast upload speeds make all the difference on a FaceTime call or for a student participating in an online class.
It's easy to see how fiber internet dramatically boosts efficiency (and reduces frustration) for students, businesses, telecommuters, content creators, and more. All of us are moving to, or are already using, cloud applications and services, such as Office 365, Google Drive, iCloud Drive, and Salesforce.
After all that work and studying, it's great to unwind with a great videogame. Gamers need a rock-solid, lightning-fast upload speed to live stream on Mixer, Twitch, or YouTube. Symmetrical internet over fiber prevents annoying the masses with a stuttering stream that repeatedly cuts out. Gamers also benefit from the low latency, lack of data caps, and consistently high speeds.
Phonoscope Fiber's all-fiber network means you can depend on an unfailingly lightning-fast connection at home and at the office. Did you know some providers even throttle your bandwidth during peak times? Talk to one of our solutions engineers today about our business and residential services.
