Usually, streaming a clip from YouTube was faster than uploading that same clip, but it appears this is about to change. Verizon recently announced that it plans to increase the upload speed for nearly all of its FiOS subscribers. Such a move should surely push other competing Internet service providers to act in a similar manner.
Why is Verizon doing this? Well, the company says that it is expecting upload activity on the Internet to double by the end of 2016.
What Verizon plans to do is nothing short of spectacular, as matching upload and download speeds for delivery to the home is something we've never heard of before. Usually, these packages are designed for the business and enterprise community, so to see Verizon doing this for the regular folks is a good sign of how much things are changing.
One of the reasons why most Internet service providers might not be matching the upload and download speeds could be due to the use of coaxial cables to deliver data. From what we've come to understand, coaxial is designed to deliver high download speeds, but not so much when it comes to uploading.
The reason why Verizon would be able to make this a possibility on its FiOS network has a lot to do with the fact that the company uses fiber optic cables throughout its whole network design. This technology offers faster comparable speeds in both upload and download. The only problem with fiber optic right now is how expensive it is to put it into the ground when compared to coaxial.
The ability to upload files and documents just as fast as downloading is very important for the future of the Internet. Cloud storage is slowly rising to prominence, which means Internet users will be uploading a plethora of data in the coming years. The only way for uploading and download from the cloud to feel seamless is if speeds are similar on both ends.
"Faster upload speeds means better sharing experiences," said Mike Ritter, Verizon's chief marketing officer for consumer and mass business. "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."
For customers who are unable to wait until the new upload speeds are rolled out to them, they can visit Verizon's My Rewards+ page for more information.
