Commercial Fiber

At Stowe Communications, we do a lot of talking about “symmetrical” bandwidth, and we brag about the power of delivering the same upload/download speeds to our business customers. However, as a small or mid-sized business busy with the day-to-day operations of a growing enterprise and gangbuster team, you may never have stopped to think about what “symmetrical” means as it relates to your telecom service and how it matters or why it makes a difference.

 Let’s start with some definitions. Asymmetrical bandwidth is a connection that has different upload and download speeds. For example, you’ll see a “business class” Internet product offering of “100/10” which means 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) down and 10 Mbps up. You may also see or hear a phrase “half duplex.” In the case of asymmetrical bandwidth, uploading affects downloading and vice versa. If someone in the office is downloading a huge file, this process could use all the available bandwidth. As a result, you could notice extremely slow service in your online activities or cloud services. A cable modem is an example of an asymmetrical solution.

Symmetrical bandwidth has the same upload and download speed and is much more aligned to business usage. For example, in a symmetrical bandwidth product you could choose a guaranteed 100 Mbps speed in both directions. Symmetrical is “full duplex,” and you can be downloading and uploading simultaneously without experiencing slow service. Fiber-based Internet (such as the service that Stowe Communications offers) is a symmetrical solution.

 Asymmetrical networks can be useful when much more data needs to be downloaded and minimal requests are sent up, as you might see with typical residential Internet browsing. Today, more and more companies require higher speeds in both directions, and symmetrical networks are beneficial to prevent inefficiencies and bottlenecks in your network. If your business is running any real-time applications like Microsoft Office 365, VPN, VoIP, video conferencing, web conferencing, and/or you have a need for large file transfers, you will benefit from high speeds in both directions and should consider symmetrical bandwidth.

Whether Symmetrical or Asymmetrical, Cable Modem or fiber-based, Stowe Communications Internet service has you covered. Put us to the test today!