There are several ways to connect your home to the internet today, and each comes with its own set of performance standards. GFiber runs on an entirely fiber-optic network built to deliver high symmetrical speeds, low latency, and reliable performance directly to your home. Additionally, GFiber proactively improves network technology across active service areas to align with modern bandwidth demands.

Understanding internet connection types

Most households connect to the internet via fiber, cable, DSL, fixed wireless 5G, or satellite. The structural performance of these formats varies based on physics and network materials. Here’s how they break down:

• Fiber-optic technology: Fiber carries data as pulses of light through glass. Fiber-optic technology allows signals to travel faster than electrical currents. Fiber networks run fiber-optic cable from a central facility directly to your home.

• Cable internet infrastructure: Cable usually runs on hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) networks. While fiber may carry data to a neighborhood node, coaxial cable handles the final leg of the journey to the home and uses copper cable and electrical signals

• DSL networks: DSL uses traditional copper telephone lines. Because of the limitations of copper, signal quality and speed often drop the further you are from the provider’s central office.

• Fixed wireless 5G: Fixed wireless 5G connects homes using the same radio spectrum as mobile cellphone networks. Data travels from nearby cell towers to a receiver installed at your home.

• Satellite infrastructure: Satellite uses radio waves beamed from space to a home dish. While satellite reaches remote areas, weather can affect signal quality and offered speeds are often lower.

Which internet connection is right for you?

Selecting an internet format depends on your specific performance needs and local network availability. For those on the fence about which type of internet would work best for them, it’s worth noting that according to an editorial analysis from CNET, "Google Fiber raises the bar for fiber internet service."[1]

Additionally, CNET editors note that "You can expect fully symmetrical speeds and a reliable connection." Symmetrical architecture balances your network link, providing identical performance lanes for both downloading and uploading data.

GFiber's XGS-PON and 25G PON network technology 

GFiber operates two advanced technologies—XGS-PON and 25G PON—simultaneously. By deploying both systems on the same physical infrastructure, GFiber has already prepared our network for the increasing internet demands of multimodal AI environments, immersive video streaming, and advanced cloud computing.

XGS-PON powers our current residential products. Core 1 Gig, Home 3 Gig, and Edge 8 Gig all run on this 10 Gbps symmetrical fiber platform, which serves the majority of our customers today.

25G PON is our next-generation layer. GFiber has been deploying this technology since 2023. Ninety percent of homes and businesses in our network footprint are now 20 Gig capable. To unlock this capacity, a technician installs a new optical network terminal (ONT) inside the home without the need to dig new street trenches. Because this updated technology uses already deployed fiber lines, GFiber increases total network capacity through hardware and software updates rather than disruptive neighborhood construction.

Today, GFiber operates an all-fiber network in 19 states and counting. See if GFiber is available in your neighborhood at gfiber.com. 

Footnotes and Disclaimers

[1] CNET Award Attribution: CNET: Best No Contract ISP 2025 Overall Winner. Reprinted with permission. © 2025 Ziff Davis, LLC. All Rights Reserved. "Google Fiber raises the bar for fiber internet service." "You can expect fully symmetrical speeds and a reliable connection."

[2] Upload/download speed and device streaming claims are based on maximum wired speeds. Actual internet speeds, Wi-Fi speeds, and Wi-Fi coverage are not guaranteed and can vary based on factors such as home or business size and layout, construction materials, hardware and software limitations, latency, packet loss, etc.