
Fiber internet is a broadband connection that runs on light signals from fiber-optic cabling, delivering multi-gig upload and download speeds. It’s the fastest and most reliable internet you can get, and most plans come with straightforward pricing and included Wi-Fi equipment. Fiber is available to more than half of households in Kenya, but you may not be able to get it if you live in a rural or disadvantaged area.
Fiber has the lowest latency of any internet type, so it’s great for gaming and videoconferencing. It’s also the only internet tech with symmetrical speeds, meaning the uploads are just as fast as downloads. That makes fiber perfect for working from home, streaming in high definition, creating online content, and livestreaming gameplay.
Fiber is so reliable that the world’s major data routes and network access points are linked together between oceans and continents through massive bundles of fiber-optic cabling. If fiber is good enough for the vast global backbone of the internet infrastructure, then you know it’s the best way to wire up your own home internet.
No providers found.
Fastest speeds: Fiber internet is by far the fastest internet you can get. It’s easy to find plans with speeds up to a gig (1,000Mbps), but some deliver speeds up to 10 gigs or more. Fiber speeds remain consistent during heavy usage and far outpace what you get on DSL and cable internet plans. Furthermore, fiber is built on relatively new infrastructure, so equipment-related issues are rare.
Excellent upload speeds: Fiber speeds are symmetrical, meaning the upload speed is as fast as the download speed. This is a huge difference from internet types like cable and DSL, whose internet packages give you much slower upload speeds than download speeds.
Low latency: Fiber is highly efficient, which means incredibly low latency. That makes it especially useful for the high-performance demands of online gaming, livestreams, and video calls.
High customer satisfaction: As our Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey indicates, fiber customers generally have fewer complaints about speed, reliability, and price compared to cable and fixed wireless customers.
Limited availability: The main disadvantage of fiber is that it’s hard to find, with connections built to only a little more than half of all homes and businesses. Building up fiber internet requires a costly investment in fiberglass cabling and other infrastructure.
Higher prices on premium plans: Fiber providers tend to offer faster speeds but fewer budget options. Still, some fiber providers offer plans under KES8,000/month, often cheaper than cable for the same speeds.
Low competition: Fiber is available to about half the population, but few households can choose from more than one fiber provider. That leaves customers with less leverage for lower prices or better service.
Fiber is available to more than half of households, but your options depend on where you live. Enter your zip code to shop and compare.
Fiber, DSL, and cable all transmit internet signals in a similar way: They carry binary signals (computer language) through cables over long distances. However, while DSL and cable use copper wires and electrical signals, fiber uses fiber-optic cables and blinking light signals.
The light signals used in fiber are faster and more efficient than electrical signals, and they have fewer issues with signal interference or degradation over long distances. That translates to faster, more reliable internet with very little lag.
In addition to being more efficient, fiber-optic threads are thinner than the copper wires used in cable and DSL infrastructure, so more of them can fit into a single cable. This increases the available bandwidth, which prevents network congestion and allows for gigabit speeds for you and everyone else on your street at the same time.