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Monday, July 21, 2014

To Better Compete, FIOS Improves Broadband

Verizon FIOS has a competitive advantage over cable; its broadband speed, mainly because of fiber to the home, is greater than cable's coaxial connections.  And as customers seeks more streaming media to view and upload more content to the cloud, the faster the connection, the better the experience.  FIOS can, with minimal investment, support that objective by increasing its upload speed to match its download speed.  "FiOS says the rollout should be done by the fall, and 95% of customers will receive it automatically."  And FIOS says this enhancement is being delivered at no additional charge.

While concern over net neutrality still mounts, most customers really just care that their content is accessible, without delay, when they want it.  When they encounter buffering, no matter what the reason, it creates a bad user experience.  The more speeds are improved, no matter the content, no matter the direction, the better the customer will value the service. 

FIOS growth has been slowing while cable operators have seen gains as well in broadband customers.  But as broadband continues to become more valuable than cable, FIOS may have the advantage when marketing superior broadband speed.  And while upload speed may not yet be as important as download speed, the need is coming.  Cable operators need to push more investment into improving their lines. The total broadband experience matters and slow internet only frustrates consumers who then start looking for a new provider.