Fidium Fiber vs. Spectrum: Who Offers Faster and More Reliable Internet?
In our modern age, internet connection has evolved into as essential as water and electricity. Particularly whether studying from home, streaming movies, or browsing social media, a fast and consistent internet connection is critical. Among the most often used internet service providers in numerous areas of the United States are Fidium Fiber and Spectrum. In terms of speed, dependability, availability, and pricing, however, are they any different, or is one that jumps out? Let's now consider how these approaches differ from one another once we have separately covered both ones.
Internet Speeds
When choosing an ISP, one of the most critical features they consider is the speed of the connection. Fidium Fiber provides fiber optic internet service with equal download and upload capabilities of up to 2 gigabits per second. That means you enjoy download and upload speeds that are equally as fast up to 2,000 Mbps. Their lowest tier is 300 Mbps, which is faster than even the average cable internet service provider can offer.
Spectrum’s highest internet speed tier is also marketed as “up to” 1 Gbps or 1,000 Mbps. But, Spectrum in general deploys fiber-coaxial network technology, which is not absolute fiber to the home. This means speed and latency can vary and not to the same extent as Fidium’s direct fiber connections to your home or business. Spectrum Internet speeds are generally 200 to 1000 Mbps download and 5 to 35 Mbps for the basic tiers, with higher tiers offering 400-1000 Mbps download and 35-100 Mbps upload speeds.
Thus, Fidium can provide faster service and maintain lower latency, variability, and higher upload speeds for usage scenarios such as video streaming. This makes them the winner if you are looking to get the best internet speeds that are currently being offered to customers.
Reliability of Connection
It is not very beneficial to have fast internet if it constantly cuts out or if it has a lot of disruptions. Now which Internet Service Provider is more reliable and has lesser downtime?
It is well known that the fiber optic internet is one of the most reliable technologies that can be used for Internet connection. Fiber is more immune to signals and other factors within the environment than normal coaxial cables. For fiber internet services, Fidium claims to have a network availability of 99.99% and general dependability.
Spectrum relies heavily on legacy technologies such as copper coax that has been laid for decades is susceptible to weather conditions and can be damaged easily. Spectrum also promises 99.9% availability in their service level agreements while fiber tends to experience large-scale or neighborhood internet outages less than traditional cable internet.
In terms of reliability, fiber technology positions Fidium ahead of the cable provider spectrum. So, if uptime is a big concern for work or other purposes, Fidium appears to be the smarter choice.
Availability and Coverage Area
A fast connection with high reliability does not mean you are protected if the provider does not cover your location. Now let us look at how Fidium and Spectrum stack up when it comes to availability and coverage area.
Spectrum is more broadly deployed overall, as they’ve been laying cable for over 30 years in most of the United States. The company and its affiliates operate in 41 states including the major metro regions of the country. Nevertheless, the speeds and packages of a plan can be different depending on the location and district area.
Fidium is a newer fiber optic provider, established in 2019 and, therefore, it has less coverage, mainly focusing on the areas of the Midwest and Southeast states, including Indiana, Michigan, Kansas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. However, they are already in the process of moving towards new areas to become a direct competitor to the traditional cable ISPs.
As of now, Spectrum has a four-time longer history and presence across the US, which gives them an edge in terms of coverage. Still, Fidium is expanding rapidly through partnerships, fiber infrastructure investments, and a competitive attitude to the cable monopolies.
Pricing and Cost Comparison
Finally, it is time to compare the internet packages and prices offered by the two competitors.
It is quite challenging to give an exact comparison of the current cost of the internet plans since the options differ significantly depending on the geographical location of the two providers. But in general, there are no contracts, no data limits, and transparent prices for Fidium Fiber internet plans starting at $55 per month and up to $79 per month depending on the speed.
Spectrum pricing always has two parts; the first is the promotional rates that apply for the first 12-24 months of subscribing to their services, and the second is the additional fees that they add to your bill. Some packages can begin at $50 per month for the first year with the prices going up to standard once the plan is activated. Like many other providers, Spectrum doesn’t offer most of its plans without data caps and even with overage fees.
Since Fidium does not lock its customers into contracts and does not have data caps, it gets the affordability victory over Spectrum and its complicated offers and contract-related rate increases.
The Verdict
Although Spectrum does offer broader overall coverage, Fidium Fiber stands out as a superior cable ISP where internet speed, connection stability, and reasonable prices are concerned. Focusing solely on the fiber optic internet for the future, Fidium looks ready to further challenge monopolized cable and DSL industries.
Fidium Fiber, if available in your location, features silky-smooth fiber rates, impeccable reliability performance, and affordable costs that place them ahead of conventional cable internet service providers. As fiber availability extends to other neighborhoods yearly, the Fidium vs Spectrum competition is seemingly poised to shift steadily in favor of the challenger, Fidium.
