#Internet backbone upgrade#

Well, maybe it’s not quite as straightforward. A pulse of light means one, while no pulse means zero. But for the data to go over a wire, it needs to be stretched out into that most basic binary shape - a one or a zero, an “on” or an “off.”įiber-optic cables transmit that stream of binary data via light pulses, so it’s just about as straightforward as our flashlight experiment. Computers on each end of these transmissions can unpack all the data, decoding those ones and zeros into more complex codes and, eventually, into the words and images we see on a website.

Fiber-optic cables - and other types of cables - transmit binary data, which we typically see represented by ones and zeros. On a very basic level, this is how fiber-optic cables work. By repeatedly turning your flashlight on and off, you may be able to communicate by code. You would only be able to do two things: shine a lit flashlight or keep the flashlight off. Imagine trying to communicate with a neighbor using a flashlight in your window. Like other types of internet connections, fiber-optic cables have one basic job: transmit data from one place to another. How Fiber-Optic Cables Work - and Why Fiber Is Faster Google Fiber’s efforts also were frequently foiled by lawsuits and logistical problems,Īnd the company has largely abandoned its network-building efforts to focus instead on partnering with municipalities building their own publicly funded fiber networks.Īs the FCC itself has said, cable-laying cost is a “substantial barrier” to the expansion of fiber access. Even high-profile exceptions such as Google Fiber - which is backed, of course, by tech giant Alphabet rather than an established ISP - prove the rule: Google Fiber’s network expansion was projected to cost $3,000 to $8,000 per home served. High costs keep many would-be competitors out of this space, affording some time for established internet service providers to roll out new fiber networks of their own in areas they already serve with older broadband infrastructure. AT&T’s fiber internet options are an expansion of the company’s longtime presence in the cable and DSL internet markets. Some of the first FTTH networks were installed by incumbent providers such as Verizon Fios, which started building out consumer fiber service in the early 2000s and expanded into markets including Baltimore and Boston at the turn of the decade. Consumer demand for better and faster broadband will also drive investment in the newer, faster technology.

#Internet backbone upgrade#

As the cost to maintain aging copper networks increases over time, more providers will choose to upgrade to fiber. Installing a new fiber-optic network is a large capital expenditure for service providers, but maintaining existing networks isn’t cheap either.

We’ve also developed a ranking of cities with the most “fiber to the home” (FTTH) infrastructure, a metric that essentially measures how fiber-friendly a city is. For more details on the fiber internet market in the U.S., including the number of fiber optic providers and which communities they serve, see our list of every provider offering fiber optic internet service in the United States. households have access to fiber, according to the Fiber Broadband Association.īelow, we’ll lay out everything consumers should know about fiber internet. In Dallas, fiber internet is available to about 61 percent of residents, and that qualifies as high availability compared to other major metros in the United States. Only 21 percent of internet customers in Chicago, for example, have fiber available as of 2020. Due to the high cost of installing fiber service directly to homes, even major cities are still predominantly served by cable. A fiber internet connection easily can be 10 times as fast as a standard cable connection.įiber is the fastest home internet option by far, but its availability is scattered. The biggest benefit of fiber is that it offers much faster speeds over much longer distances than traditional copper-based technologies such as digital subscriber line (DSL) internet and cable internet. Fiber internet service is the gold standard of wired residential internet connections.