You may have heard the terms fiber-optic internet and fiber internet, but what do they mean? You may know that you get higher speeds, but still wonder what fiber-optic technology is and how it could make your internet service faster. If we break the term apart, we can find the answer. Fiber refers to the glass wires that are inside the cable, also known as fiber-optic cables. Optic refers to how the data is transferred—through light signals. And the internet is, well, you know, the internet. So fiber-optic internet is the transfer of data by light signals through thin, protected glass wires that could give you access to the internet at a much faster rate.
Technology has come far in our lifetime. Fiber used to only mean what your body takes in to maintain regularity as food passes through the digestive system. Now, people associate it with high-speed internet, giving them the fastest connection possible. But what makes fiber so fast?
Back when traditional wires ruled the world and DSL was all that was available, speeds had to rely on passing through copper cables to transmit data. These cables were intended for vocal transmissions initially, so how much data could also pass through is limited. Rather than using photons like fiber-optics does to carry communication, copper cables use electrons which use electrical pulses to communicate. These pulses are subjected to throttling in an already crowded connection.
Photons, on the other hand, transmit using infrared laser light, and since the speed of light is faster, more data can get through, and the bandwidth is higher. Speed with fiber-optics can vary by provider, but generally overall you'll have generally have a better connection using fiber-optics
| Up to 940 Mbps via a wired connection. Speed may not be available in your area | Average File Size | Download Time |
|---|---|---|
Stream a 4 minute song on Spotify | 5 MB | 0.04 seconds |
Watch a 5 minute video on YouTube (1080p) | 62 MB | 0.496 seconds |
Scroll your Facebook Timeline for 1 hour | 156 MB | 1.2 seconds |
Stream a 45 minute episode on Amazon Prime Video | 1.7 GB | 13.8 seconds |
Watch a 2 hour HD movie on Netflix | 4.6 GB | 18.4 seconds |
**Assumes HD-quality video streaming consumes data at a rate of 2 GB/hour, streaming audio/radio consumes data at a rate of 75 MB/hour, an average web page is 2 MB/hour, and social media pages consume data at a rate of 350 MB/hour. Please be advised that the values provided should only be used as a general estimation, as download speeds may vary by device, by type and by quality of content.
CenturyLink Fiber Internet comes with more than just blazing-fast speeds that can support practically any number of users and devices with virtually no lag time. Any CenturyLink internet plans, Fiber gigabit plans included, round-the-clock, easy-to-access tech support from a real person, not a robot.
Best of all, no matter what CenturyLink Internet speed you choose, there's no long term commitment! Cancel anytime and never feel locked into the same plan. We don't know what you will need in two months, let alone two years. With CenturyLink, no contract means no long-term commitment. We promise not to take it personally.
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Cancel anytime and never feel locked in with no contract
Access tech support any time of day or night, 24/7/365.
Stream, download, and game at lightning-fast speeds.
With fiber broadband, your devices can load up in an instant, your movies can stream flawlessly, and you won’t even have download times in your vocabulary—fiber is that fast.
Have a family of 3 or more, each with their own device? With fiber internet and its more substantial bandwidth, you won’t have to worry about buffering anymore. Your kids can stream their shows on their tablets while you download the latest superhero movie for movie night, and your partner can stream their favorite podcast on their phone—all for one, and one fiber internet connection for all. There is so much that you can do with fiber internet today.
Fiber-optic internet is a hot commodity, and it could be available in your area! With CenturyLink Fiber Gigabit, get our highest speed for downloading, streaming, and gaming. Check the table to see if you can have Fiber Gigabit in your home and install fiber today.
Can’t find your city? CenturyLink offers other high-speed internet plans that can still meet your needs.
Get Fiber Gigabit speed in select cities across the country
24/7 technical support will help you stay online
No contract means you pay month to month with no commitment.
Speed may not be available in your area. Customer speed experiences will vary, particularly when accessing the Internet wirelessly from various devices. Download speeds are via a wired connection. Internet speeds are not guaranteed due to conditions outside of network control, including customer location, devices, equipment, and access through a wired or wireless connection; see centurylink.com/InternetPolicy for more information. Fiber Gigabit: Maximum download/upload speeds are up to 940 megabits per second via a wired connection due to overhead capacity reserved to deliver the data.
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