A third of broadband switchers want symmetrical speeds

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A debate has been raging between cable and fiber players over whether symmetrical speeds are a must-have or merely a marketing campaign. But the question of whether consumers need symmetrical speeds is very different from asking whether they want such capabilities. Fresh data from Recon Analytics indicates that for a significant portion of consumers the answer to the latter is a resounding “yes.” Charter CEO Tom Rutledge has notably argued the position that the answer to the first question – do customers need symmetrical speeds – is no, and that all the hype around such capabilities is just marketing buzz. And usage data appears to back him up. OpenVault’s most recent report showed that while uplink usage is growing, it remains a fraction of downstream consumption. AT&T, meanwhile, has been one of the most vocal proponents of symmetrical speeds, particularly in the multi-gig realm. Shortly after the rollout of its 2-gig and 5-gig plans, AT&T VP of Broadband Technology Management Josh Goodell noted uplink usage had jumped 3x among multi-gig subscribers.


A third of broadband switchers want symmetrical speeds