May 7 | By Madeline Gearheart

Fiber and 5G came on the scene years ago, but they’re still two of the hottest terms in internet connectivity—fiber because it’s still the most powerful player, and 5G because it’s not just for mobile users anymore.

If you’re one of the millions looking forward to faster speeds but not sure how to compare these two options, this overview should help. Read on to learn more about 5G vs. fiber internet for your home or business.

Just want a summary? Skip to the table >

5G vs. fiber technology

5G internet leverages Verizon’s advanced 5G network to connect your devices at home or at work. The radio frequencies used in 5G networks allow much faster internet speeds than before—not just compared to 4G LTE, but even some traditional internet plans still offered today.

Fiber internet offers unbeatable speeds and reliability over a wired network of fiber optics. Most providers built out their networks with 100% fiber-optic composition, rather than diluting the network with speed-throttling copper cables, so you can take full advantage of fiber speeds and reliability.

5G vs. fiber internet speeds

5G speeds for homes and businesses today run up to 100 Mbps on the low end and up to 300–400 Mbps on the high end, giving you solid bandwidth for daily connectivity needs like browsing, streaming, and running smart home/office devices. Is 5G faster than fiber? No, but in many areas, 5G speeds are faster than other wired services, like DSL and cable.

Fiber speeds today run up to 300 Mbps on the low end and up to 2 Gbps on the high end for most homes and small businesses. However, tippy-top speeds can run as high as 7 gigabits in some areas. Fiber also gives you symmetrical upload speeds—something no other technology offers—for faster file sharing and smoother gaming and video calls.

5G vs. fiber reliability

5G has great latency or lag metrics—it consistently clocks under 50 milliseconds, which is competitive even with cable. However, as a wireless technology, 5G is more sensitive to interference from weather or physical obstacles. Plus, since home and business customers share the 5G network with mobile subscribers, you could experience slower speeds when traffic spikes in your area (e.g., during a holiday parade or heavy shopping weekend).

Fiber has a typical latency of under 14 milliseconds—and in the single digits for some providers. With low latency and high resistance to environmental interference (including the heat/cold that affects competing cable providers), fiber is the most reliable internet technology available. You can expect a smooth and responsive experience for just about anything you do online.

5G vs. fiber availability

5G home and business internet are widely available in metros and suburban areas and have some reach into less populated areas. (Where 5G doesn’t reach you may be able to get 4G LTE home internet.) One challenge of 5G availability is that there’s high demand, so providers have to limit subscribers per area to give each household/business the bandwidth they expect from a high-speed internet service.

Fiber availability usually starts in metros with high population density, then expands outward into surrounding suburbs. Many major cities in the US already have fiber networks, and availability continues to expand. Eventually, fiber may replace older wired networks like DSL altogether.

Did you know? Verizon offers 5G and fiber internet. Check home and business availability now >

5G vs. fiber internet costs

5G home internet prices range from about $35 to $55 per month for 5G speeds, while business internet plans start around $70 per month and increase incrementally for faster speeds.

Fiber home internet prices range from about $35 to $85 per month for speeds up to 2 gigabits, while business internet plans start around $60 per month and increase incrementally for faster speeds. Price per gig usually improves as you go up.

See Verizon home and business internet pricing >

5G vs. fiber data allowances

5G home and business internet usually offers unlimited data without fees, because providers know data limits aren’t practical for all-day internet use. However, because wireless providers have to manage network traffic more carefully than fiber providers, you may experience slower speeds after using a certain amount of data. Double-check the data policies as you shop plans.

Fiber internet comes with unlimited data since the technology is more powerful, and providers can easily offer high bandwidth without taking away from other users.

5G vs. fiber installation

5G offers quick self-installation through a mailed kit. You’ll just plug in your router and follow the included instructions to set up your Wi-Fi.

Fiber internet may offer self-installation at select addresses, but especially where fiber infrastructure is new, you’ll need a technician to install the first connection to your local fiber network.

User scenarios for 5G vs. fiber internet

What can you do with 5G home/business internet vs. fiber?

5G

• Essentials like browsing, shopping, banking, email, social media.
• Streaming TV, movies, and educational/work content in HD.
• Video calls to friends, family, and colleagues.
• Light gaming by a few users.
• Standard internet use by a small home or office.

Fiber

• All the essentials and more.
• Streaming content in HD and 4K (on compatible screens).
• Group hangouts or video conferencing for work.
• Multiplayer gaming with low lag.
• Rapid file uploads and cloud backups for home or office.
• Sophisticated smart home or IoT office devices.
• Heavy internet use by a larger household or office.

5G internet vs. fiber internet, summarized

	5G internet	Fiber internet
Best for	Fast internet where fiber isn’t available	Ultimate speed and reliability
Technology	Cell towers emitting wireless 5G radio signal	100% fiber-optic network underground
Availability	More coverage than fiber, but spots limited per area	Major metros and suburbs, but coverage growing
Typical download speeds	Up to 100–300 Mbps	Up to 300 Mbps–2 Gbps with equal upload speeds
Typical latency	<50 milliseconds	<14 milliseconds
Starting rates	About $35/mo with qualifying mobile plan	About $35/mo with qualifying mobile plan
Data	Unlimited in most cases	Unlimited
Installation	Self-install in most cases	Professional install in most cases

• FCC, “5G FAQs.” Retrieved 11 March 2025 from https://www.fcc.gov/
• FCC, “Thirteenth measuring broadband America fixed broadband report.” Retrieved 11 March 2025 from https://www.fcc.gov/
• Ludwig, R., “Who cares about latency in 5G?” Retrieved 11 March 2025 from https://www.ericsson.com/
• Waveform, “5G’s faster data rates and Shannon’s Law.” Retrieved 11 March 2025 from https://www.waveform.com/

5G internet vs. fiber: making your choice

If you’re fortunate to have the choice between 5G home internet vs. fiber, you’ll probably be happiest with fiber. It really is the fastest and most reliable internet service available, and it’s likely to stay that way for years.

But 5G also makes an excellent choice for home or business connectivity, especially if any of these apply to you:

• You want fast, affordable internet where fiber isn’t available.
• You expect low lag that holds up next to cable and outperforms DSL.
• You value low pricing, mobile bundles, and simplicity of service.

Verizon offers internet services for homes, businesses, and mobile users all over the country. For home internet and mobile bundles, shop Verizon Fios and 5G packages now. For commercial plans, shop Verizon business internet now.

Apr 1 | By Lauren Chapman

If you often work from home, you might have wondered at some point about the differences between residential and business internet. Below, we answer common questions on the topic to help you understand your options in residential vs. business internet and make an informed choice about your next plan.

What is the difference between home internet and business internet?

Home internet service connects families and individuals at their private residences, while business internet connects workers in public storefronts and private offices — and occasionally, businesses run from a private residence. Wherever they operate, however, business internet customers tend to have more options in service bundles, with common offers including business-class phone systems, cloud services, and security plans.

Business internet has more features and benefits than residential, and is worth the higher cost. Residential internet often has restricted upload speeds and comes with only best-effort service agreements, while business internet demands faster upload speeds in order to perform operations. In addition, ISPs provide guaranteed service and uptimes for business internet.

Saving a few bucks now could end up costing you down the line, since the differences between business internet vs. residential are critical—would you line up at FedEx Office self-serve instead of buying your own office printer? Or have an Uber driver make your client deliveries? The choice is really that cut-and-dried.

Here are the most important factors for your business internet vs. residential consideration:

Parity

Residential, and even some business internet providers, keep prices down by offering impressively fast download speeds while glossing over their far slower upload speeds. For streaming movies and web surfing, download speed matters. If you’re creating content and need to get it to clients, upload speed really matters—the same goes for backing up your data offsite. Business internet connections usually offer identical download and upload speeds, known as parity.  In residential connections, throttled upload speed is the norm: 20Mbps down, 2Mbps up is a standard package, which would be advertised as “20×2,” or the upload speed left out completely.

Service Level Agreements

A service-level agreement (or an SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its customers stating what services the provider will furnish, as well as defining performance standards. Service providers use SLAs to manage customer expectations, as well as to clarify when they’re not liable for performance issues or outages. By being made aware these parameters, business customers (residential customers usually receive less-binding “best effort” promises) know what to expect from providers, and can compare them to the SLAs of other vendors. SLAs also define means of compensation should the service level not be met, either through credits or a refund.

Static IP

Business internet connections typically come with static Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, permanent numbers assigned by the Internet service provider (ISP). If it’s not included, you can add a static IP when you set up your service. A static IP address is also known as a fixed address. This is ideal for hosting a web site or email server from your location or for connecting to a whitelisted server so you can use a service that another business provides. Also if you have heating and air conditioning controls or video cameras at your business, you can access these controls remotely with a static IP.

Residential internet connections typically use dynamic IP addresses that are temporary and change each time the computer or device accesses the internet from your network. Your ISP will set this up so it happens automatically using a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). When it comes to security, both dynamic and static IPs are comparable, as long as you have a good security program or firewall installed.

Price

The lowest cost shouldn’t be the deciding factor in the business internet vs. residential debate. Think about what your business could lose in the event of an internet slowdown or, worse, a complete outage. The initial savings of going residential could easily be wiped out by loss of connectivity and productivity, and it might end up costing you even more in the end. It won’t, however, cost you anything to compare business internet features and pricing besides a few minutes of research into what might be best for the future of your business. To help get you started, click the following link to learn more about Verizon Fios business internet.

Speed – Is business internet faster than residential?

Sort of. In most areas, the fastest available speeds are higher for business internet vs. residential plans. But in both categories, only some customers choose the maximum speeds available, so speeds tend to overlap between business and residential plans.

Business internet speeds tend to be anywhere from two to five times faster than those of residential connections, meaning more people can get more done, more quickly. Twenty employees sharing a 5Mbps residential-style connection at the office can makes little financial sense when you’re counting on it to help complete transactions and make you income. And, as annoying as the dragging downloads and eternal uploads of a slower residential connection can be for you, they’re even more tedious for your customers. It may predate the internet, but the old saying “time is money” still holds up.

When it comes to learning more about speed, feel free to check out our article: How much bandwidth do I need for my business? If you’re considering what makes Fios and fiber optic connections so much faster, we recommend reading fiber optic vs. cable.

Can home internet be used for business?

Usually no, you can’t use residential internet for business because zoning laws don’t allow it in commercial areas. However, if your home doubles as your business location, you might prove an exception to this rule. You’ll need to confirm residential vs. business internet offers at your address by contacting local providers. Keep in mind, if you choose residential internet, you won’t be eligible for business-class features that can simplify overhead and optimize daily operations.

If you don’t run a business but do work from home as an employee, residential vs. business internet should give you what you need to attend video meetings, share small(ish) files, use a VPN/remote desktop, etc.

Get Verizon Internet for business and residential needs

Verizon offers all customers reliable connectivity, unlimited data, bundle savings, and 24/7 technical support. 

Shop Verizon Business Internet plans below or browse Verizon Home Fios Internet and 5G Internet for personal purposes and get connected today. 

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