It is no secret that Verizon’s FiOS service is simply impressive, offering incredible bandwidth and digital services that use that bandwidth to great effect.  Digital television services, digital telephone services, and amazingly fast broadband data plans all powered by a 100% backbone to door fiber optic network make FiOS an attractive offering, and differentiates them from a market full of XDSL and DOCSIS based competitors.  The use of fiber optics has required Verizon to expand their FiOS network carefully, and the first phase of that deployment is coming to an end.  As with all endings, there are both good and bad aspects to be considered.

The Good News

The good news is that Verizon’s FiOS system is reaching a record number of consumers, and as the company will be able to ramp up their marketing efforts as the deployment draws to an end.  More customers will mean that Verizon will be able to receive a return on their investment, which in turn should help the company justify further upgrades.  Some of Verizon’s plans for next-generation fiber optic systems are already being tested, and the results are nothing short of impressive.

Speed increases are nothing new to Verizon FiOS customers, but the nature of fiber optic cabling lends itself to such network upgrades.  Future upgrades to Verizon’s extensive fiber optic network could be used to increase competitive offerings in terms of performance, service more customers, or a combination of the two.  Metal wiring seems to be entering the last part of its useful lifecycle from a broadband delivery point of view, and upgrading XDSL or DOCSIS systems to compete with networks comprised entirely of fiber optics is not a winning proposition, but the competition might be good for consumers in the short-term.

The Bad News

The bad news is that if customers do not have FiOS access by the middle of 2010, there is no telling just when they will receive it.  Verizon has many issues to contemplate before deploying additional segments of its fiber optic network to new markets.  The result might be a delay as Verizon assesses the effectiveness of their marketing, and the ability to generate a return on their revenue based on their existing deployment.  In short, there is no official time table for when the second phase FiOS deployments will begin.

An educated guess would be that Verizon would start the groundwork and planning of a second phase within the first few months of their new marketing campaign.  It should not take long to gauge the efficacy of a marketing campaign, and that in turn should help Verizon make well-informed financial assessments as to which markets it wants to enter and compete in.  If scores of customers respond to Verizon’s advertisements and adopt fiber optics in short order, then the company is likely to begin an immediate and aggressive deployment into a number of markets.

On the other hand, if the economy has tempered the consumer response to ultra-broadband, then Verizon is in a good position to wait.  As the physical limitations of copper wiring become more apparent and the economy recovers, Verizon could be left in the enviable position of having a top-notch fiber optic network that is tried and true, while their competitors are left adapting their existing networks.

In short, Verizon can sit idle and benefit, or they can be aggressive and benefit; the consumer response is likely to be the key factor.

Silver Lining

Even if Verizon does wait, it is likely that their experience in delivering IPTV, digital telephone service, fiber-based broadband, and even wireless bundles will serve them well.  Marketing research paired with technical expertise should put them in a very good position for expansion whenever they deem it necessary.  Many pundits have already predicted that 2010 will be known as the year of recovery, and that the IT sector in particular will see great strides.  This is partially due to government incentives that the Obama administration is offering to help keep America’s broadband competitive and ready for the future.  Whether or not there are pressing time limits on such government assistance programs may also play a role in determining when Verizon will begin its second phase FiOS deployment.

Either way, FiOS is already a hit with enough consumers that a second phase is virtually guaranteed.  The only questions are: when and where.  Sadly, the answer is not likely to be 2010/coast-to-coast, but 2010/select areas is certainly a possibility.

Fiber for All is proud to announce the winners of the FiOS Triple Play Bundle Contest

Over the past weeks we have received outstanding support in the initiative to help spread the word about fiber technology. The message about Fiber for All reached 1000s of people because of your support!

Contest Winners:

We would like to congratulate both Geoff Daily and @abitnerdy for submitting winning entries into our contest.

Blog Contest Entry:

Geoff Daily wrote an excellent post called “Why We Need Fiber For All.” Within his entry Geoff did an outstanding job of educating consumers on why fiber is the future of broadband communication while also disbanding common assumptions about fiber implementation.

Here is an excerpt from his post:

Every American deserves access to world-class broadband infrastructure. And the world has chosen fiber.

So the question becomes: “Is America ready to step up, be bold, and embrace the simple reality that fiber is our future? And if so, are we then prepared to start taking the bold action that’s required to transform this from a good idea into reality?”

I say, “Yes! The time has come for us to seize the day and show the world why America has been an economic superpower for the last 100 years so as to lay the groundwork for us to maintain our dominance for the next 100 years.”

Because without fiber, our broadband future is bleak.

Geoff has won the FiOS Triple Play Prize Bundle consisting of an HDTV, Netbook, and Phone Triple Play prize package, valued at $1,005.94

You can read his whole post on his blog App-Rising or follow Geoff on Twitter.

Twitter Contest Winner:

Overall the twitter contest was a huge hit. We are thankful for all of your participation.

The winner @abitnerdy submitted an insane amount of tweets over the duration of the contest and did a great job of getting the word out about Fiber for All. The winning tweet as determined by random.org was:

Did you know the Fastest Cable Internet is only 15% as fast as Fiber Internet? #FiberForAll @fiberforall http://su.pr/4OZxoo
http://twitter.com/abitnerdy/statuses/3682505346

@abitnerdy has won a HP Mini Netbook valued at $426.

Continuing Fiber for All:

We hope you all have enjoyed this contest and have learned more about fiber optic communications, Verizon FiOS and At&t Uverse. This is the first of many exciting things going on here at Fiber for All so make sure you check back and continue to get the word out about the need for fiber technology.

With FiOS being one of the few actual FTTH (Fiber To The Home) providers it is always good to hear what real customer have to say about their service. Below you will find a list of consumer experiences. Those of you who are thinking about upgrading to fiber will find this to be a great reference.

Verizon FiOS Installation Process:

These authors do a great job explaining the installation process as they experienced it. It is always great to know what you are getting yourself into before hand.

Verizon FiOS: The Installation
Within this article Fragzem does a great job outlining the full process of how FiOS was installed in his home. He goes in to great detail and offers pictures of his speed test. Longer read but worth while if you are thinking of having FiOS installed.

Verizon FIOS / Fiber Being Installed Today
MrGroove does a great job of split testing his before and after fiber installation. His original installation was DSL which had speeds of nearly 2.9mb down and .715mb up. After the fiber installation his speeds were drastically increased, offering more than 15mb up and 13mb down. This post really shows the power of fiber technology.

Happy Fiber Optic Customers

Hands on FiOS Review
Dave Kaminski is a professional copywriter and videographer who talks on his experiences with FiOS. Not only is he paying less for a fiber connection but he now was double the download speed and 10 times the upload speed. Interesting read especially for those of you who spend time on Youtube or the like.

Switching it all to Verizon FiOS
Barry Schwartz does a quick write up on his upgrade to Verizon FiOS TV and Phone from his current internet only plan.

FIOS Installed – 15 Megabits Of Bliss
Steve Lacy, a software developer for Google recounts his experience with FiOS. The post is a couple years old, but accurately points out how fast fiber is compared to cable.

FiOS TV Reviews

Verizon FiOS TV Review
DEF EFX does very comprehensive rundown of Verizon FiOS TV. A great resource for any consumer looking to upgrade to FiOS TV. This article outlines everything you would want to know about FiOS TV including: Ordering/Installation, Programming, Quality, Video On Demand, Set Top Boxes, other features and a great array of photos.

Jonathan Rogers FiOS TV Review
Jonathan Rogers does a great rundown of FiOS TV. Though he does mention that though he doesn’t see any real difference in picture quality he does receive a lower price and more Premium HD Channels. If Fios is new to your area you should check and see if you might receive the same benefit.

Paul Stamatious Reviews FiOS
Paul does a quick review of FiOS while staying at a Cousin’s house. He ends the review with “Verdict: When is FiOS coming to my neighborhood?” This seems to be a underlying theme of people who don’t yet have Fiber in their area!

Verizon FiOS vs Comcast

Feature by Feature Comparison
Andru Edwards does a full comparison of Verizon FiOS vs Comcast. He compares them feature to feature and from his review he ranks FiOS above Comcast. He makes a several arguments for FiOS over Comcast. Worth a read if you are currently using Comcast.

Rodrigo Lagdameo Compares FiOS vs Comcast
Rodrigo explains how he just recently switched from Comcast Cable to Verizon FiOS. Not only is he more statisfied with Verizon FiOS but he is saving $50 a month. Short read but worth reading if you are thinking of switching.

AT&T UVerse and Verizon FiOS are the next generation of television, telecommunications, and high-speed internet providers. They use very similar technology to provide customers with a feature rich multimedia TV, telephone, and internet experience. They are very similar, but AT&T and Verizon are using different business tactics and technology to woo customers from cable and satellite providers.

Technology
Verizon has decided to deploy fiber optic connections directly to subscriber homes. This is called fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP). Deploying FTTP connectivity for residential customers is very expensive, and laying fiber from Verizon’s existing equipment to the individual residences is very time consuming. Since Verizon is not making use of the existing copper wiring between their field equipment and the residence, they will lose a lot of time laying fiber connections, and it will take an extremely long time for a widespread roll-out of FiOS.

AT&T has decided to make use of their existing fiber optic infrastructure and the existing copper wiring between their field equipment and the residence, which is known as fiber-to-the-node (FTTN). This results in a much quicker deployment time, much lower cost for consumers, and much lower initial out-of-pocket costs from AT&T’s coffers. AT&T also has the option of switching from FTTN to FTTP once the overall need for additional bandwidth rises, and AT&T can reinvest funds from existing customers to use for future upgrades.

Price
Verizon is one of the most expensive communications providers in the United States. They stake their reputation on reliability, expansive networks, and a wide variety of services. They turn most of the cost of upgrades, expansion, and maintenance over to the consumer. Since Verizon has built their brand around these concepts, they also spend a lot of time and energy on deploying the newest technologies when they are ready for consumer usage. This is what drove them to offer residential FTTP connections before any other national carrier. You should not expect them to engage in active price competition with the local cable and satellite companies, but they may attempt to do so with AT&T since U-Verse is based on similar technology.

AT&T is more sensitive to existing market trends for pricing in the cellular, television, high-speed internet, and telephony markets, and they tend to stay in the middle of the road. They have also been known to provide relatively generous discounts to subscribers that use more than one of their services. Since AT&T’s U-Verse can also take advantage of AT&T’s cellular phone technology, expect additional incentives for existing AT&T cellular subscribers. AT&T is also taking advantage of existing infrastructure, so they can reduce the cost to the customer in the short term, and use their subscriber base to their advantage when it is time to upgrade to a pure fiber network.

Availability
Deploying FTTP connections is time consuming and expensive, so expect slow but steady growth for Verizon’s FiOS services. AT&T is gaining subscribers at a very high rate, because they are able to expand their coverage quicker. In the next two years expect a lot of markets that were previously monopolized or dominated by Comcast, Cox, or Time Warner to see both Verizon and AT&T enter the market. This will completely change the face of television, high-speed internet, and telephone pricing.

Customer Service Experience
AT&T U-Verse and Verizon’s FiOS were ranked at the top of the list for Customer Satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates in 2008. The existing providers in many markets became complacent because there was little or no competition until U-Verse or FiOS was introduced. Expect all of the providers to raise their customer service standards very quickly to stay viable in a market with increased competition.

Every year, more and more Americans subscribe to high-speed internet access from their cable and telecommunications providers. Our individual bandwidth consumption needs grow every year as people turn to the internet for work, school, and entertainment. BitTorrent downloads, Voice-Over-IP (VoIP) telephony, streaming video, and multimedia downloads contribute to an exponential growth in bandwidth usage.

While the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have gone out of their way to increase subscribership, they have done a poor job of providing additional network infrastructure and bandwidth to their clients. In environments where bandwidth is shared, like a cable internet network, a very small pool of users are consuming a disproportionate amount of bandwidth. This results in slow connection speeds for the entire community during peak usage times. The ISPs are starting to take steps to minimize the connectivity degradation, but their methods are not in the best interest of the consumer.

Traffic Shaping

photo credit: roland

There has been a lot of news coverage pertaining to the bandwidth issue in the media lately, because ISPs have started to step in and manipulate network traffic. Several ISPs, including Comcast, have employed traffic shaping techniques that reprioritize how quickly your data can move through their network. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took action against Comcast for throttling BitTorrent data specifically, but failing to single out any other kind of data. If Comcast had not singled out BitTorrent data and just massaged the priority of all kinds of data traffic through their network, itis highly unlikely that the FCC would have intervened. It is good that the FCC is preventing ISPs from blocking specific kinds of data, but the door is still wide open for the ISPs to make it more difficult and more expensive for their subscribers to use the internet.

Throttling Data to Their Advantage
The ISPs do not have the best interests of the consumers in mind. There is no transparency, and the vast majority of customers who are affected do not know that their data is being manipulated or re-prioritized. If the ISPs continue to manipulate data traffic, how will we know if they are manipulating traffic to favor their own services? Since a lot of ISPs also provide their own VoIP phone services, what’s stopping them from manipulating data traffic from other VoIP services like Vonage, which run over existing broadband services? What’s stopping the ISPs from manipulating data transfers from Amazon Video, Netflix’s streaming video service, or the iTunes Store, since all three of them offer video downloads that compete with cable programming? Since the ISPs are not disclosing their network management plans, there is no way to be perfectly sure that your ISP is not taking advantage of you.

Speed Tests Can be Inaccurate
There are a multitude of bandwidth tests available on the web. The vast majority of those tests are only interested in how fast it takes generic packets to travel to and from your computer or home network. If you do not choose speed tests that test the speed of different types of data transfers, you may have an incomplete or inaccurate picture of how fast your connection truly is. Google joined with a few other organizations to form the Measurement Lab (M-Lab), which was created to study broadband networks. M-Lab provides several bandwidth tests that also look for evidence that your ISP is throttling specific kinds of network traffic, namely BitTorrent. These tools are all free to use, and they come with a lot of documentation, so you will be able to understand the results. If you use these tests, and you do find out that your ISP is throttling specific kinds of network traffic, it may be worth your time to call your ISP and inquire about it or voice your displeasure. If more customers express their concerns to the ISPs and the FCC, the ISPs may have to reconsider their current strategies.

At one time, cable TV ruled with an iron fist over the paid TV industry. With satellite TV being expensive and geared toward the higher tax bracket, cable was all the average consumer had to work with. Over the years however, technology evolved and the price on satellite TV has dropped significantly, labeling services such as Dish Network and DirecTV a major threat to the mighty cable kings. Today, viewers have even more options to choose from and AT&T U-verse is one service that appears to be leading the charge for alternatives.

What is U-verse?

U-verse is AT&T’s answer to the television, internet and phone services offered by cable TV providers. Unlike cable services, U-verse delivers an IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) signal over a technologically advanced fiber-optic network. According to AT&T, the data travels to a node that is no less than 3,000 feet from your residence. From there, it travels over a DSL or traditional copper telephone line until reaching your home. The combination of Internet Protocol and fiber-optic technology is said to provide speed and video clarity that towers over cable TV with stability and performance that outdoes satellite TV services. If this service is available in your area, you too can enjoy what many are calling the “next generation of digital television”. Before subscribing, you would probably like to know what to expect from the installation process. This article will shed some light on the subject.

Installation Equipment

Similar to cable and satellite TV services, AT&T U-verse offers free equipment and installation to get you up and running quickly. Installation includes a set up of your residential gateway (modem) and receivers along with any additional wiring that is required. A professional AT&T U-verse technician will set up the gateway via a Wi-Fi, Ethernet or USB connection for high-speed internet connectivity and connect the HD-ready receiver to your televison or home entertainment center. A single receiver is capable of simultaneously recording up to four programs on different TVs but you will have to pay $7 per month for each receiver if additional boxes are needed.

What You Should Know About Installation

Shortly after ordering the U-verse service, you will receive a postcard in the mail that contains your 9-digit U-verse account number. More importantly, the card will provide a summary detailing the specific date and time the installation is scheduled to occur. It will also let you know the following:

- The installation will take anywhere from 5 to 8 hours

- Someone 18 years or older and authorized to make decisions regarding your U-verse account must be present during the installation.

- The U-verse installation technician is not permitted to move any furniture in your home. This means it is up to you to make sure that the connections to your TV sets and computers are accessible.

How Long Will it Really Take?

There have been reports of U-verse installations taking as little as two hours and others taking as many as a few days to complete. The actual time frame you endure of course, all depends on your situation and the competency of the installer. In most cases, it is problems with existing wires that result in lengthy installations. Sometimes, the connections used to power your cable box just won’t work with the more sophisticated U-verse set up. So even though most installations are routinely completed with little to no problems, you should still try to be a bit more patient and let the technician or technicians do their thing. Even if the installation process ends up being a nightmare, you will probably forget about it once everything is set up and functioning properly.

Many have found that the speed and picture quality of U-verse is well worth the sometimes grueling installation process.

If you are not familiar with AT&T U-verse, you will be soon enough. Now available in more markets across the country, the service is generating a buzz and proving to be a worthy competitor to cable TV. In fact, AT&T claims that an estimated 60% of its customers are migrating from the cable competition in favor of its IP-based alternative. The company continued to ramp up its number of subscribers by adding a record 284,000 net customers in the first quarter of 2009. AT&T U-verse has been designed to rival cable in virtually every facet, offering bundles of services that include digital TV, high-speed internet and phone. U-Verse is certainly the talk of the paid TV market, but how does it really match up to cable? Let’s have a closer look.

DVR Hardware

The AT&T U-verse DVR, Total Home DVR, sets itself apart from the competition by offering the ability to record up to four standard definition channels at one time. Though far from a TiVo, the receiver has a slick, easy to use interface along with a remote control that can do everything from change the channel to play games on your TV screen. Cable DVR boxes as you probably know, vary depending on the company you’re dealing with. Some are straightforward and user-friendly while others like those provided by Charter Cable, are clunky with a user interface that looks like it was made back in the 70s.

HD Programming

AT&T recently extended its offerings to include more than 100 HD channels. The company claims that its U-Verse TV service now has more HD channels than any cable or satellite service.

While this is up for debate, cable is light-years behind satellite TV when it comes to HD and perhaps even further behind the AT&T service.

VOD Options

AT&T U-verse and cable TV are pretty much neck and neck when it comes to VOD options.

Both provide you with a plethora of options in terms of free programs and movies as well as a nice selection of paid choices in standard definition.

Additional Features

The biggest difference between AT&T U-verse and cable is the additional features that come along with the service. With U-verse, you can program your DVR from any computer with an internet connection. This can also be done from an IP-based device such as an iPhone. Other notable features include online photo storage with Flickr, games provided by Yahoo and the U-bar that flashes weather reports in ticker-like fashion across the bottom of your screen. About the coolest thing you can do with cable is order a Pay Per View event from your remote control.

Installation

The installation is either hit or miss with both U-verse and cable TV. However, you are likely to encounter a lengthier process with U-verse. This is mainly because U-verse thrives off a different type of network and therefore requires a different type of setup. While AT&T says that your existing wiring can be used, sometimes additional cables are required, thus adding on time to the project. Whereas a cable job can usually be completed in a matter of hours, expect for a U-verse installation to claim about 5 to 8 hours of your day. With U-verse being a relatively new service utilizing a more exclusive technology, it isn’t uncommon to see more than one technician before the installation is complete with everything working properly.

Conclusion

AT&T U-verse is certainly turning heads but it does have some critics. For instance, some customers have complained of signal and picture quality issues even though AT&T claims that the clarity outshines cable. However, many more are expressing that U-verse makes a better option over cable merely for the value and exclusive features it offers. The choice is all a matter of preference because it’s hard to picture something like U-verse completely replacing cable TV. If you want to be the judge, read more details on AT&T U-verse and decide for yourself.

If cable just isn’t doing it for you any more and satellite is out of the question, you may be interested in checking out what AT&T has to offer with its U-verse service. U-verse is the only all 100% IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service available through a national service provider, making it one of the most dynamic, feature-rich solutions on the paid TV market. AT&T U-verse has already been honored by J.D. Power and Associates and consistently receives high markings from its rapidly growing customer base. What’s the reasoning behind all the praise you might ask? Exceptional performance and superior picture quality coupled with an impressive roster of channels.

Programming Scope

In March, 2009, AT&T made the announcement that U-verse TV now offers more than 100 HD channels in all UVerse markets throughout the country. The company claims that this exceeds the lineup of HD channels offered by local cable and satellite TV providers in every market where its U-verse TV service is available. Thanks to the recent expansion, customers can now enjoy additional HD programming with channels such as ABC Family HD, Disney XD HD and ESPNews HD among several others.

The addition of new HD programming brings the total number of AT&T U-verse TV channels to more than 350. Standard programming includes channels like Cartoon Network, Spike TV, USA, LifeTime and VH1. Movie lovers are compensated with options such as ShowTime, HBO and Cinemax while sports fans are covered with packages that offer everything from regional games to nationally televised events. The service was also recently upgraded to include more ethnic programming. Some of the channels added to this lineup include ET News, ET Global, Star India Plus, TVBV and MBC America. With Video on Demand services available, AT&T makes sure its U-verse TV service has a little something for everyone.

More HD

In regard to HD programming, ATT Uverse TV has a number of different subscription options. HD programming is automatically included with U450, the most expensive package that starts from $109 per month. This gets you 95 HD channels and 360 channels total in addition to the entire Sports Package. You can add HD programming onto any other package for $10 extra per month. If that isn’t enough high def TV for you, you can get even more exclusive channels with HD Premium for an additional $5 per month. All of AT&T’s U-verse TV packages come included with HD-ready hardware, mainly the Total Home DVR. Similar to TiVo, this receiver allows you to record HD programming from a single DVR and then view it on any TV connected to the system. Unlike TiVo, Total Home DVR gives you the ability to record up to four programs at one time.

Enhancing Your Viewing Options

As you can see, AT&T U-verse pretty much gives you everything offered by cable TV and then some. This is especially true if you are one of the many viewers that has become smitten with HDTV (High Definition TV) programming. When considering how fast service enhancements are being made, the roster of channels will likely be expanded in the very near future. The biggest downside to U-verse is that the service isn’t as widely available as cable. However, that is all changing as AT&T is rapidly deploying the service throughout more markets across the United States. To find out if UVerse has made it to your area, you can visit the site and check availability by filling out a simple form.

photo credit: AndreJenny.com

The average consumer has no idea of the differences between cable, DSL and fiber optic internet access. This is quite understandable because most users are only concerned about the end result. The truth is that while all can provide you with high-speed capabilities, these services are very distinct and their differences could be the determining factor in which type of internet access you choose. This article will closely examine this hotly contested battle to help you better determine which is right for your needs.

DSL:

A Digital Subscriber Line or DSL connection, uses the existing copper wire of your phone line to deliver high speed internet access. While not as fast as cable, this type of connection is incredibly faster than dial-up and suits the needs of most home users just fine. On top of being suitably fast, this type of connection also tends to be notably less expensive than cable, which is the main reason it has became such a popular option so quickly. One critical factor that will impact your decision on DSL is the distance between your home or office residence and the provider’s central office. The further you are from the main line, the weaker the signal, and the slower the connection. With that being said, DSL is not as widely available as cable so you will need to inquire with your local phone company regarding availability.

Cable:

Though often confused with fiber, cable utilizes the coaxial cable that connects to your television set. In contrast to DSL, the quality of a cable connection does not depend on distance so your speed is guaranteed regardless. However, unlike DSL, which runs on a dedicated line, cable connections are typically shared amongst your neighbors, making it a slightly less secure option. As far as speed goes, cable access range from about 3 to 10 Mbps, which is essentially 3 to 4 times faster than DSL. Keeping in mind that this speed is reflected in the price, you should expect to pay a lot more for cable service.

Fiber:

Provided by companies such as AT&T, Qwest and Verizon, fiber optic offers many advantages over conventional copper cable lines. It is able to transmit data much faster over greater distances and because the cable is smaller in diameter and weighs less, it makes an ideal alternative for a wide variety of cabling solutions. Since the conductor is glass and cannot generate electricity, fiber is immune to all sorts of interference. This means that it can come in direct contact with high-voltage electrical equipment, power lines and lightning, all while still putting out a superior performance. Because fiber optic cables cost less to maintain, the price for service tends to be much less than cable and very competitive with DSL. The major downside to fiber is that service is only available in a few markets, so there is no guarantee that you will be able to find it.

Summary

Choosing between cable, DSL and fiber all depends on your needs. If you only need to use the internet casually or want to save money, DSL is probably the best option. This allows you to use the net at quality speeds without breaking the bank for it. Fiber would make the best choice for obtaining the fastest possible speed. The hardest part may be finding service in your area. If you want a tried and true solution with a super-fast connection, cable would be the way to go. It is much easier to find but also the most expensive option by far. There really is no wrong choice as all three can provide you with high-speed access that ensures an optimal internet experience.

With the internet being such an integral part of everyday life, business especially, the speed and reliability of your internet access has become more important than ever. Internet access speed is a measurement that entails how fast data can be transferred from the internet to the computer it is connected to. An exact speed cannot be guaranteed as there are a number of factors that affect it depending on the connection. However, there is one technology that promises to deliver all the speed you desire and then some – burstable internet access. But there’s more to it than meets the eye…

What is Burstable Internet Speed?

photo credit: noii

A burstable internet service is one that allows you buy a certain amount of bandwidth, supposedly on a pay-as-go model. In theory, it essentially enables you to utilize a DS3 or more commonly, T1 service without paying for the bandwidth you do not use. Since the full amount is made available to you, should you exceed the monthly limit, your internet service will continue to perform at an optimal level. This pricing model is quite similar to most of the cell phone plans currently on the market. While this appears to be an ideal solution, burstable internet access opens up the door to a world of potential disadvantages.

The Cost Factor

The biggest downside to burstable internet access is cost. This is attributed to the fact that T1 access is far more expensive than DSL, even though the actual speeds are very similar. In addition, it is very likely that you will be charged overage fees for the service once your usage needs suddenly increase. Although burstable internet could be a great choice for businesses that require the utmost in scalability, the threat of higher costs makes it unappealing to gamers, peer-to-peer users and the rest of the internet community who frequently download content from online.

A Clever Yet Deceptive Marketing Ploy

The burstable bandwidth concept is confusing to the most savvied of internet users. Truthfully, it is merely a trick commonly employed by today’s Internet Service Providers. These companies allow you to temporarily enjoy the highest speed, but after a certain amount of time or once the bandwidth quota has been exceeded, they automatically knock you down to a slower speed. In most cases, the service provider leaves all the specifics of when this actual bursting occurs out of their standard literature. They typically advertise the rare, best-case number when promoting the service. When and if this quote-on-quote bursting is mentioned, it is usually tucked away in the fine print.

Holding Your ISP Accountable

Although it may seem like a no-win situation, there are ways to keep your service provider in check about its burstable claims. Here are few questions you should ask to find out exactly what you are paying for:

• Can you provide me with something in writing that explains how the bursting service works?
• Am I charged or penalized for using higher speeds?
• How long am I allowed to “burst”? 10 seconds, 10 minutes or 10 hours at any given time?
• Can I exchange the bursting feature for a flat-rate service if I am not satisfied?

While these questions are not guaranteed to get satisfactory answers from your ISP, it is a step in the right direction. The best way to avoid the madness entirely would be to maintain consistency with a flat-rate service that suits your bandwidth usage needs more accurately. After all, most of us have been getting by just fine with the old method, so why feel the need to burst?