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How Fast Is Cable Internet?

Compare Cable Internet Speed To DSL, FiOS, and U-Verse
by Richard Thomason - July 2nd, 2010

Cable Internet seems to occupy the middle ground these days in the area of high speed Internet within the United States. Although DSL providers are currently limited to a max of 7.1 Mbps, new Fiber Optic Internet services (such at U-Verse and FiOS) are pushing the high end of U.S. Internet download speeds up to 20 Mbps or even 50 Mbps. So how fast is cable Internet compared to DSL, Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-Verse?

Right now (mid-2010), the average Cable Internet connection in the U.S. ranges from 6.5 to 8.5 Mbps for downloads (according to numerous Internet speed tests). DSL averages between 2.1 to 3.8 Mbps. Of course, the speed of your service depends on which plan you choose, your area, your provider, and many other factors -- still, cable Internet is the clear winner in speed when it comes to Cable vs DSL.

 

Comcast's Cable Internet Speeds

In recent years, cable has become even faster. Most U.S. cable Internet providers have upgraded their cable lines in high population metropolitan areas and started offering packages with higher speed allocations -- as long as customers are willing to pay more money for faster Internet speeds. For example, Comcast High Speed Internet now has four Internet speed tiers.

  • Performance: Downloads at 12 Mbps, sometimes reaching up to 15 Mbps. Uploads at 2 Mbps sometimes up to 3 Mbps.
  • Blast: Downloads at 16 Mbps, sometimes reaching 20 Mbps With PowerBoost. Uploads at 2 Mbps, sometimes up to 4 Mbps with PowerBoost.
  • Ultra: Downloads at 20 Mbps reaching up to 30 Mbps with PowerBoost. Uploads at 5 Mbps and up to 7 Mbps with PowerBoost.
  • Extreme 50: Downloads at 50 Mbps and uploads at 10 Mbps, no PowerBoost.

Comcast PowerBoost is an extra service that allows much faster speeds for the first 10 or 20 MB of download and uploads.

While these are the speeds of Comcast only, most cable companies have similar speed packages. The Extreme 50 package is the only package that realistically can compete Fiber Optic Internet services, such as the Verizon FiOS Internet package. The problem with FIOS is that it is not available everywhere cable is. Of course, the problem with the Comcast Extreme 50 package is that it is expensive and it is only available in certain markets -- typically in areas where Comcast competes with FiOS.

Cable Internet actually has the potential to be even faster than 50 Mbps. For example, in 2009, Cablevision launched a 101 Mbps plan in parts of NYC, although it is rare to see such plans outside of very crowded metropolitan areas. In other countries, cable Internet is already much faster, even in rural areas. The best example is Virgin Media, located in the UK. In 2008, Virgin has trialed their new broadband cable service at speeds of up to 100 Mbps. As of 2010, Virgin Media is also trialing another high-end product which can deliver speeds of up to 200 Mbps. Their existing broadband cable network already reaches speeds of up to 50 Mbps throughout the UK.

These faster cable Internet speeds of 50 MB and higher are made available through the use of the DOCSIS 3.0 standard. Cable companies in the U.S. still have a large amount of upgrades to make to their cable networks before these faster speeds are available outside of a few select markets. They are currently expanding DOCSIS 3.0 to other parts of their networks, but the process has been slow. Until these cable infrastructure upgrades are complete, most Americans will only experience the 4 Mbps to 12 Mbps range of cable Internet speeds that they become used to over the past decade.

For reviews of other top cable Internet providers, check: Charter Cable, Cox Cable, or Time Warner High Speed Internet. If you are curious about the performance of your own high speed Internet connection, then check our Free Internet Speed Test page for ways to test your current DSL or Cable Internet speed.

 
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As of 2010, high speed Cable Internet is currently the most popular form of Internet service in the U.S., especially with their TV, Phone & Internet bundles.