Why Livestreamers and Videographers Need Fiber’s Upload Speeds

By Harry Guinness

Fiber internet is all about symmetrical speed. This means it offers not only the fastest download speeds but also the fastest upload speeds. If you’re a livestreamer, YouTube creator or videographer, or you send large files for any reason, fiber’s symmetrical upload speeds can literally be life changing. Let me explain.

How fast is fiber’s upload speed?

A great DSL connection will offer something like 100 Mbps download speeds and 10–20 Mbps upload speeds. A really good cable connection might provide 300 Mbps download and 35 Mbps upload. Gigabit fiber? It offers symmetrical speeds: almost 1 Gbps download and almost 1 Gbps upload, meaning not only is it really fast, but it’s just as quick to upload something as it is to download something.

And fiber is getting even faster than that. Many internet providers can sign you up for 2 gig fiber that offers 2 Gbps speed up and down.

Why livestreamers need fiber’s upload speeds

Anyone who livestreams on Twitch or YouTube should consider a fiber connection. It’s an easy way to guarantee you’ll meet livestreaming’s bandwidth requirements.

For example, Twitch recommends a minimum of 6 Mbps if you want to stream in 1080p full HD at 60 frames per second (fps). If you’re prepared to sacrifice some quality, 720p footage at 30 fps only requires a minimum of 3 Mbps.

YouTube’s livestream requirements are similar, though it supports higher-quality streams. For a 1080p stream at 60 fps, it suggests a minimum upload speed of between 4.5 and 9 Mbps. The highest resolution available—4K at 60 fps—requires somewhere between 20 and 51 Mbps, depending on how you’re handling the footage.

But remember, these are the minimum upload speeds for streaming—and only for streaming. This doesn’t take into account the bandwidth necessary to play a video game, chat with your team, stream to multiple platforms at once or even things like having your email app run in the background. It also doesn’t consider what other people (or other devices) in your house are doing on the internet.

While you might be able to get a DSL or cable connection that just about clears the minimum speeds necessary to stream, you won’t have much buffer for everything else. You’re likely to either have to stream with a lower quality than you’d like or be careful with how you—and everyone else in your house—use the internet when you want to stream.

A fiber connection, on the other hand, will easily clear the upload requirements and give you the bandwidth you need. With fiber, it won’t matter if your roommates are also livestreaming or are even uploading huge files to the cloud just for fun—your connection will still have enough upload speed to go around.

Why videographers need fiber’s upload speeds

While livestreamers need good upload speeds moment to moment, videographers, YouTube creators and others who post videos online can really benefit from fiber’s high maximum speeds.

Let’s say you’re uploading a 20-minute video shot in 1080p at 60 fps using the common H.264 codec. The final video file will be around 31 GB.

• With a 10 Mbps DSL connection, it will take over seven and a half hours to upload.
• With a 30 Mbps cable connection, it will take around two and a half hours to upload.
• With a super fast 1 Gbps fiber connection? Just four and a half minutes to upload.

Lightning fast upload speeds allow you to do things like backup your footage to cloud storage or even collaborate with other YouTubers, video editors and anyone else. You don’t have to spend hours waiting for files to transfer—it’s done in minutes.

A great option for everyone

Fiber’s symmetrical upload speeds are really useful for livestreamers and videographers, but fiber is great for everyone. It offers the fastest, most stable connection—and is going to continue to do so into the future. Even if there’s only one streamer in your household, everyone can enjoy its benefits.

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