Charter Spectrum vs Verizon Fios

Charter Spectrum OVERVIEW

Charter Communications provides residential and business broadband cable and fiber Internet, phone, and TV under the “Spectrum” brand name. Their 2016 acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks expanded their cable network to become one of the largest in the US.

Charter Spectrum TECHNOLOGY

Charter Communications offers broadband Internet, TV, and phone service to consumers via their hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network.

Hybrid Fiber Coaxial is a broadband infrastructure that uses fiber optic cables as it’s backbone, only resorting to slower coaxial cables for the “last mile” between customer residences and a local “optical node.”

The optical node translates optic signals into electric signals, which are generally distributed via existing cable TV networks. A node may serve anywhere from 50-2,000 homes in an area.

This type of connection is widely called a “cable” internet connection due to the use of coaxial cable, which was historically used to offer “cable TV.”

Charter Spectrum RATINGS AND REVIEWS

50.8% recommendation rating according to 48,662 verified Spectrum users.

Verizon Fios OVERVIEW

Verizon FiOS is a provider of fiber broadband Internet, TV, and phone services. They offer 100% fiber connectivity and have one of the largest pure fiber networks on the market.

Verizon Fios TECHNOLOGY

Verizon Fios offers broadband internet, TV, and home phone service to consumers using their fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network.

Fios was one of the first major telecom companies to deploy a large fiber optic network. They have sold parts of their network to Frontier in recent years. Regardless, Fios is still available in a handful of states.

Unlike hybrid networks, FTTH carries data over next-generation fiber optic cables all the way to a subscriber’s doorstep. The core drawback to an FTTH network layout is that it costs an Internet provider significantly more to build up-front, thanks to the high cost of fiber cable combined with the cost of labor to install that cable underground throughout an area.

That said, FTTH is generally considered the “gold standard” of consumer internet connections because it offers the lowest latency and highest bandwidth capabilities.

Verizon Fios RATINGS AND REVIEWS

62.0% recommendation rating according to 25,933 verified users.