Qwest DSL and Comcast High Speed Internet reach their respective subscribers' homes through different methods. While DSL internet signals travel through telephone wires, cable internet travels through coaxial cables that are designed to carry TV signals.
For years now, Comcast and many other cable companies have touted their internet as "faster than DSL," claiming that coaxial cable wires can carry a higher bandwidth signal, but with recent leaps in DSL technology, the opposite is sometimes true.
Download Speed Claims
Download speed is how fast a computer or internet device receives data from the internet.
According to qwest.com, as of September 2009, Qwest offered DSL internet download speed choices of 1.5, 3, 7, 12, 20 and 40 mbps. (mbps=megabit per second). Comcast, according to http://www.comcast.com, offered 1, 12, 15, 22 and 50 mbps download speed options. Not all speeds are available in all areas for either company, and there are areas of the United States where one or both companies may not operate at all.
For a little clearer understanding of how fast each of these download speeds are, Qwest reports that its 1.5 mbps connection will download a 4 Mb (megabyte) music file in about 26 seconds, while its 40 mbps connection will download that same file in about 1 second. Comcast does not mention on its website how fast its 1 mbps connection will download a music file, but claims its 12 mbps connection will download a 4 Mb song file in about 2.5 seconds, while its 50 mbps connection will do the same in less than 1 second.
Upload Speed Claims
Upload speed is how fast a computer or internet device is able to send data to the internet. Upload speed is especially important to web developers since they very regularly upload data to the internet in order to post files on web sites.
As of September 2009, Qwest offered upload speeds of 1 mbps, 5 mbps, and, via its VDSL2 technology introduced in July 2009 (which was only available in select areas at that time, but should be expanded in the near future), 20 mbps. Comcast offered upload speeds of 1 mbps, 2 mbps, and 10 mbps (which was also only available in select areas as of September 2009).
Since coaxial cables were designed primarily for sending information to televisions and not receiving information from them, cable internet upload speeds generally fall short of DSL’s. Upload speeds usually come packaged with download packages. For example, Qwest's 20 mbps upload speed is only available with its 40 mbps download speed package, and Comcast's 10 mbps upload speed is only available with its 50 mbps download speed package as of September 2009.
Shared Loops
As with most cable internet companies, all households in a given area that subscribe to Comcast internet share their connection with each other. This is often called a "shared loop." When too many households in a given area are using the internet, this sometimes causes slow-downs in connection speed, making the internet seem slower at some times than others. The busiest time (often called "peak hours") for internet providers, or times when more people are using the internet, is between 4PM and midnight. Some cable internet providers may even purposely limit each household's bandwidth during these hours, (see references 3) though evidence has not been found that Comcast does this.
The shared loop has been known to cause inconsistencies in cable internet speed depending on the time of day the internet is accessed. DSL providers such as Qwest, though generally offering slightly slower speeds than cable, tend to provide a more consistent speed throughout the day since individual users have an unshared connection to the internet.
Price
The price of Comcast and Qwest internet varies in each area, and higher speed packages cost more than lower ones, but comparable packages with either company generally cost about the same. Both Comcast and Qwest occasionally offer deals that provide internet access at a reduced price for a certain amount of time, but after these promotions expire, prices will almost always change to reflect the regular full price. Both companies also offer package deals that provide discounts on internet service if that service is "bundled" (placed on the same bill) with another product such as television, telephone or cell phone service. A visit to each company's web site will provide more specific information on prices and bundles in a given area.
Qwest vs. Comcast Comparison
Ultimately, which internet provider is selected depends upon a number of factors. It becomes clear as each company is scrutinized, however, that neither company is necessarily "faster" than the other.
For those looking for faster upload speeds and more constant speed overall, Qwest is probably the more appropriate choice. If this type of person currently subscribes to Qwest phone service, DirecTV television or Verizon cell phone services, there is also a possibility of receiving a bundle discount on internet price.
For those who simply want faster raw speed and don't do a lot of uploading, Comcast could be the right selection. If this type of person subscribes to Comcast phone or television service, there may be packages available that reduce internet price.
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