Verizon is boostiing its residential upload speeds to deliver symetrical transfer rates, but says it doesn't intend to boost rates to provide such service. At least not at this point. Small business will see a similiar service upgrade at year's end.
Every tier of Verizon's FIOS's residential service will get a boost on the upload side to mirror its respective download speed. The lowest tier, for example, will move from 5Mbps uploads and 15Mbps downloads to 15Mbps both up and down, while the top tier of residential FIOS will boast 500Mbps uploads and 500Mbps downloads.
Some of the areas the areas the enhanced upload speeds will benefit users include sending videos faster, lowering ping in video games and synchronizing content to cloud accounts much quicker.
In an International Data Corporation study cited by Verizon, 20 percent of US broadband user were considered "power users." These power users frequently downloaded large amounts of content and they uploaded just as much content.
Parity in upload and download speeds becomes increasing vital with the rise of Internet of Things, a web of networked devices and software, said Mike Ritter, Verizon's chief marketing officer for consumer and mass business.
"Faster upload speeds means better sharing experiences," said Ritter. "All Internet sharing - whether videos, large photo files or gaming - starts with uploading. FiOS all-fiber-optic technology offers a unique opportunity to enhance our customers' Internet experience on a mass scale by increasing our upload speeds to equal to our industry-leading download speeds."
The new upload speeds will be rolled out over several months, at no additional cost to consumers, stated Verizon. Verizon said it planned to increase the upload speeds of small-business in late 2014.
Fiber optic networks have long been well suited for delivering symmetrical data transfers. And while Verizon asserts that the provisioning of lines to bolster upload speeds won't spur a hike in prices, only promises stop the telecommunications company for charging a bit more for what would genuinely be faster transfer rates on both ends than most, if any, cable or DSL ISP can offer.
Customers anxious to send pictures and video as fast as they receive them can attempt to move ahead in the line by visiting Verizon's Rewards page.
More than 95 percent of current FIOS customers will receive the symmetrical transfer speeds, according to Verizon who projects that uploaded content will double by 2016. The IDC predicted that power users would swell in ranks by approximately 60 percent by 2017 and will continue to trend upward from there.
