Fiber vs. cable internet

The short version

Cable delivers internet over the same coaxial lines used for TV. Fiber uses glass strands that carry light. Both can deliver fast downloads; the difference shows up in upload speed and consistency.

Where fiber tends to win

Fiber is usually symmetrical, meaning upload speed matches download speed. That matters for video calls, cloud backups, streaming to an audience, and working with large files.

Fiber is also less affected by neighborhood congestion, so evening performance tends to hold steady.

Where cable still makes sense

Cable is available in far more addresses and often comes with aggressive introductory pricing. For a household that mostly streams and browses, a good cable plan is hard to tell apart from fiber.

If both are available at your address, compare the two-year cost, not just the first-year promo.