On April 10 at 10:10 am, Ziply Fiber shook the home internet industry by launching 10 Gig fiber to the home internet speeds, making it the fastest ISP in the Northwest—and possibly the nation.
Unleashing a 10 Gig speed tier to its plate of multi-gig options is driven by Ziply Fiber’s vision of the future that relies on fiber connectivity. It also clears up confusion around the terms “gig” and “G.”
“The world of internet services in the home has become increasingly confusing in recent months, with the consumer becoming confused about the letter G vs. the word Gig, download vs. upload speeds, and many other things,” said Ziply Fiber CEO Harold Zeitz.
Zeitz said the company is intentional about using the term “gig,” which is short for gigabit and translates to 1,000 Mbps. “G” usually refers to “generation.” Even companies that offer 10G are not offering 10 Gig, but rather a few hundred Mbps.
Many home internet plans still run on cable and operate around 50-200 Mbps—a far cry from the 10,000 Mbps provided by the 10 Gig plan—and users encounter daily frustrations like buffering wheels and lag. Although some internet providers offer gig speeds on cable connections, the type of technology delivering internet to your home is as important as the speed.
Unlike cable, fiber-optic internet promises symmetrical uploads and downloads, low-latency networks and tremendous bandwidth equipped to handle robust tasks, like multimedia content creation. Fiber is also built for internet connectivity, whereas cable is a vintage technology built for carrying TV signals to homes, not two-way data transmission. And while it suffices for now, cable doesn’t hold the capability to carry us into the future as our need for high bandwidth only increases.
The more robust your online needs are, the more you’ll find fiber gig-speed and multi-gig-speed plans are worth the investment if they’re available in your area. That said, at this point, 10 Gig fiber-to-the-home is designed with the technophile and high-level content creator in mind. It comes with specific technical requirements, and includes both static IPv6 and IPv4 addresses, as well as a heftier price tag and installation fee.
As we fly into the future, the likelihood of needing speeds 10 Gig or higher may well become an eventuality. At the very least, fiber-optic connectivity will only grow to be more critical. Fiber is an investment that will serve communities for generations to come.
Ziply Fiber is leading the way by expanding fiber to rural and hard-to-access areas so they can be as technologically sophisticated as hyper-connected urban areas. This investment in community will return benefits far into the future, from boosting competitive local economies to attracting new residents and business. As demand grows, Ziply Fiber’s 100 Gig fiber backbone is prepared to increase capacity tenfold.
For now, ramping up to 10 Gig is worth it for the serious consumer and creator. “Power user” Alex Balcanquall in Kirkland, Washington, is one of the first customers to experience the revolution. “This is the internet service of my dreams,” he said.
