DSL vs Fiber vs Cable Internet [Which is Best in 2022?]

If you are looking for a new ISP, it can be difficult to understand the different internet plan options offered by providers. DSL is the most widely available, but also the slowest. That leaves fiber or cable internet, which can be good options depending on the bandwidth you need and what’s available in your area.

Key points to remember:

• Fiber is the fastest and most stable type of broadband internet connection, but it is not widely available.
• Cable internet connections also have relatively high speeds that will satisfy users who only need 50-100 Mbps internet speed. However, download speeds are generally slower.
• DSL is slower than fiber and cable Internet, but it is also the most widely available, especially in rural areas where it is often the only option other than dial-up or satellite.

If this breakdown piques your interest, you can head over to our list of internet speed stats for an even deeper dive into the subject. You can also see how to speed up your internet connection. For now, however, let’s dive into the different types of broadband internet.

• Is fiber or cable internet better?

  As long as it’s available where you live, fiber is still the best option if you’re looking for faster, more stable internet.

• What is the difference between fiber and cable Internet?

  Fiber optic connections use fiber optic cables that send light instead of electricity, allowing for higher connection speeds and much better stability.

• Is fiber faster than cable?

  Yes, fiber connections transmit light through plastic or strands of glass rather than electricity over copper and are generally much faster and more reliable than cable.

• Why is cable internet cheaper?

  Cable Internet is generally cheaper because it uses existing infrastructure. Fiber, on the other hand, often requires the installation of entirely new cables, the cost of which is often passed on to the consumer in the form of higher subscription fees. That said, this is not always the case and internet prices vary by country and region.

DSL vs Fiber vs Cable Internet Comparison

To better understand the differences between DSL, fiber, and cable, we’ll start with a brief explanation of each before comparing their speed, availability, and price.

What is DSL Internet?

DSL (short for “digital subscriber line”) is the evolution of old dial-up connections that young readers might not even remember. This type of connection uses your phone line to transmit data, but unlike dial-up, it does not interfere with your phone service.

Of the three connection types, DSL is the slowest. Download speeds are between 5 and 35 Mbps and upload speeds are even slower, rarely exceeding 10 Mbps.

The only real advantage (and reason to get) of DSL is availability and price. Depending on where you live, DSL may be the only option other than dial-up or satellite, or it may be much cheaper than the cable or fiber alternatives.

Since telephone cables are usually located above ground, there is an additional risk of connection loss due to damage from events such as storms and extreme weather conditions.

What is Cable Internet?

Cable Internet uses copper wires rather than telephone lines, which allows it to achieve higher download and upload speeds. Since cables are usually located underground, they are also more resistant to damage.

Theoretically, coaxial cables can reach 10 Gbps of bandwidth, but plans for regular consumers never exceed 1 Gbps (or 1,000 Mbps), and even that is incredibly rare. The fastest connections are 500 Mbps, but most providers don’t offer anything above 100 Mbps.

Like DSL, cable internet treats upload and download speeds differently. Since most people need much more bandwidth for downloads than downloads, the former are often up to 10 times faster than the latter.

What is Fiber Internet?

Instead of sending electricity through metal wires to transmit data like DSL and cable do, fiber uses plastic fiber optic cables that send information back and forth in the form of light. This means that cable speed and stability are dramatically improved, as the bandwidth of a beam of light far exceeds that of electricity in a metal conductor, even at longer distances.

Unlike the other two types, fiber is also generally “symmetric”, which means the upload and download speeds are the same. The biggest problem with fiber internet is its availability; many people, especially in developing countries or rural areas, do not even have this option.

Speed ​​comparison

Of the three different connection types, fiber is by far the fastest and most stable. Fiber connections typically have speeds of at least 100 Mbps and can go up to 2 Gbps for regular consumers.

Technically, the theoretical bandwidth limit of fiber optic cable is absurdly high. With the right (incredibly expensive) equipment, fiber optic internet can achieve transfer speeds of over a petabit (1,000 terabits or 1,000,000 gigabits) per second. That said, it’s rare to find anything for public use above 2 Gbps, although some ISPs do reach 10 Gbps.

The cable comes second. While you can find cable connections as fast as 500 Mbps (and the theoretical limit is as high as 10 Gbps), most will be between 20 and 100 Mbps.

Finally, there’s DSL, which will rarely exceed 30 Mbps at best. The theoretical maximum speed varies by DSL type, but even the fastest (VDSL) tops out at around 60 Mbps.

In summary, a good rule of thumb is that fiber internet is typically 10 times faster than cable, which itself is typically at least twice as fast as DSL.

Availability comparison

Given the clear superiority of fiber, one would think that cable and DSL would be obsolete. Unfortunately, globally, fiber optic internet is still only available in very limited areas. Even if you only look at OECD countries (essentially the wealthiest countries in the world), fiber only surpassed DSL in terms of availability in 2020, and still trails cable.

For this reason, the reality is that many – if not most – consumers will not have the ability to choose between different types of broadband, or even choose competing ISPs. That said, at least in OECD countries, fiber is the fastest growing type of broadband, with 21.15 million new fiber subscriptions rolled out in 2020.

Price comparison

Before we talk about price, it’s important to note that the type of connection you have doesn’t necessarily correlate to cost. Things like ISP competition, the remoteness of your area, and local regulations have a much bigger impact on the price of your internet subscription.

That said, it’s not uncommon for fiber connections to be more expensive. It usually comes down to how the laying of the fiber optic cables themselves were financed.

Sometimes this is achieved through grants or an upfront collective payment from a community or neighborhood. However, it is equally common for the ISP to simply pass this cost on to the consumer in the form of higher subscription fees.

Ultimately, it is impossible to generalize the price of internet subscriptions because they will vary significantly depending on where you live. Generally, however, ISPs will charge more money for faster connections if they can, which is especially the case in areas where they operate without any competition.

Final Thoughts

With that, we have reached the end of our fiber vs cable vs DSL internet connection comparison. If you feel you need a lot of bandwidth on your internet connection and fiber is an option where you live and within your budget, then there is no alternative. That said, cable isn’t a bad option either, unless you need extremely fast internet speeds.

What did you think of our explanation of DSL, fiber and cable internet? Do you feel more equipped to research ISPs or are you just as confused as before? Have you switched from cable to fiber? What were your experiences? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for the reading.