It’s not hard to find reviews of internet providers. In most cases, people will give more credence to a company like JD Power or Consumer Reports, which take the opinions of thousands into consideration, than they would to an individual who has only their own experience to consider. For example, a recent survey of over 2,000 internet users, taken randomly from a panel of more than 3 million consumers, found that more users showed satisfaction with fiber optic technology versus cable or DSL. In fact, a full 74 percent of FiOS users said they were ‘very satisfied’ with their service. On the other hand, 54 percent of cable users and 51 percent of DSL users described themselves as ‘very satisfied.’
Upon initially reading this information, it can be tempting to then assume that FiOS is the best choice for everyone. However, to accurately put this information into perspective, it’s important to consider what this information really means. First, keep in mind that raw numbers don’t tell you anything about why more consumers are happier with fiber optic than cable or DSL. For example, if a company is highly regarded due to super fast speeds, that might not be the most relevant thing to consider for an individual who’s more concerned about getting the lowest price versus the fastest connection.
To further understand how the details really matter, let’s consider the same survey, which noted that users of fiber optic internet paid less on average per megabit of bandwidth than did DSL or cable users. It’s easy to assume that means that fiber optic internet service is cheaper. But let’s consider that statistic more carefully. If you’re playing less per megabit of bandwidth, but have a much faster speed than you need, paying more per megabit of bandwidth – and getting a slower speed – can yield a lower price.
The survey in question indicated that users of fiber optics paid $2.91 per megabit of bandwidth compared with $3.83 per megabit of bandwidth for a cable subscriber. However, the average speed of fiber optics was 19.7 Mbps compared to 16.6 Mbps for cable. A user who only uses the internet to check email, engage in social networking or for online bill paying would pay less for cable and would likely not notice the difference in the slower speed.
Of course the opposite is also true. A heavy internet user who utilizes the internet for things like streaming movies, downloading music, video chatting or online gaming would most certainly notice the difference between 20 and 15 Mbps. In their situation, the price difference would likely be well worth it – which is preciously why it’s so important to not just take the facts into consideration but to assess how they affect you.
The easiest way to compare internet service providers is to not just look at overall satisfaction but the specifics. Look for information that relates to the available speeds, overall long term value and how satisfied users are with their customer service experience. Then take the time to consider what’s most relevant to your own search for an ISP and make the most informed decision.
Check out the many benefits and uses of a broadband connection when you sign up with quality internet service providers.
Hello world!
July 19, 2011
As a free Blogetery user you can write posts, pages, change your theme and do a whole lot more.
However, you should also consider becoming a Blogetery Pro user:
- Pro users can run your own ads (or remove them entirely)
- Access to gorgeous premium themes
- Premium email support
- Access to brilliant plugins adding extra features to your blog
- 5GB of upload space (instead of 250MB!) and plenty more besides.
Also, to help get you started we’ve put together a support area with links to some useful videos, our FAQs and The Blogetery Support Forums where you can chat to other bloggers.
Cheers,
The Blogetery Team