Fiber vs. cable internet: What’s the difference between them?

The article compares fibre-optic and cable broadband, explaining that both can meet everyday internet needs, but fibre generally offers faster, more reliable service and equal upload and download speeds. Cable is more widely available, so the practical choice often depends on which providers serve a home and how much their plans cost.

Fibre sends data as light through glass strands, while cable uses electrical signals over coaxial copper, which can be more affected by interference and shared peak-time use. More than 60 per cent of US households had fibre access by September 2025, compared with 96.9 per cent of Americans having fixed broadband at 100/20 Mbps. The article’s examples include Google Fiber at $70 a month for symmetrical 1 Gbps and Xfinity cable at $70 for 1 Gbps download; hybrid fibre-coaxial plans can also deliver gigabit downloads, usually with slower uploads.