Frontier Internet Services: How Does Frontier Company Compare to Verizon Fios Internet Services?

So when considering which ISP to go for, two of the biggest options in the Eastern part of the USA are Frontier Communications and Verizon Fios. However, this disparity leads to another question; which of these two providers offers better internet service? This is an evaluation of the available ISPs and what each of them does for internet users.

Availability

Another significant distinction between Frontier and Fios is that the latter is not available at the same places Frontier is a service provider. Verizon Fios is accessible for roughly 70% of the households in the Northeast as well as the Mid-Atlantic in some states such as New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the like; the limited availability is accessible only outside the stated regions.

On the other hand, Frontier Communications provides internet in 29 states in the United States with the main area of coverage being the rural areas that experience low population density. In this sense, Frontier is often used to supplement the areas that Verizon Fios does not serve. The fact that Frontier has a wider coverage as compared to the other players in the market indicates that they have been able to acquire quite several small regional ISPs over the years.

So based on the factor of availability, Frontier appears to be readily available to a wider geographical area. However, where both are provided, Verizon Fios tends to be more extensive in metro areas, particularly in a given region.

Broadband Speeds

Verizon Fios has bigger Internet speeds than Frontier and this is a clear indication of Internet speeds. Unlike Frontier Communications, Verizon Fios can deliver all its services through a 100% fiber optic network hence enabling them to provide much higher maximum speeds.

Below are the speed tiers typically available from each provider: Below are the speed tiers typically available from each provider:

Verizon Fios Speeds:

- 100/100 Mbps
- 300/300 Mbps
- 500/500 Mbps
- 1 Gbps/1 Gbps

Frontier Speeds:

- 50 Mbps
- 150 Mbps
- 500 Mbps
- 1 Gbps

Speaking of Verizon Fios, let us compare it to Frontier: Verizon Fios’ lowest available speed is as high as Frontier lists as their second-best speed. Besides, Verizon’s “gigabit” provides a similar speed for uploading and downloading data, unlike Frontier’s 1 gig connection.

This speed advantage is why Verizon Fios is superior for those who live in a large house with numerous devices or demand a fast upload speed as well. The DSL network of Frontier is quite slow in comparison to this and hence it fails to deliver here.

Reliability

When it comes to evaluating the degree of reliability, it might be challenging to do it conclusively about ISPs. As a rule, fiber optic networks such as Verizon Fios stand out as the most dependable ones owing to their high speeds. It is important to note that DSL-based networks are comparatively more vulnerable to such interferences and interruptions to the physical connection.

According to the study conducted by J.D. Power, Verizon Fios is quite high compared to other providers in regards to the satisfaction with internet reliability. As for Frontier Communications, it has been ranked lower than the average in that very study. Further, third-party studies imply that Verizon Fios provides high reliability compared to other types of Internet connection, namely cable Internet service providers.

Similarly, testimonies shared on social media platforms are also a result of the good uptime of a fiber connection such as Fios. Thus in a comparison of reliability solely, Fios seems like a better option than Frontier over this network. Only remember here that the quality of the connection can differ by a specific area within the regional network of a provider.

Data Caps

When it comes to the ‘unlimited’ data plan, Verizon Fios and Frontier Communications can both be said to offer this service albeit with several caveats. Nevertheless, Frontier does abide by user network management policies to ensure that there is no over-excessive use. It is worth noting that if you use a lot of data each month, that is, many terabytes, Frontier may reduce the connection speed.

Therefore, Verizon Fios does not have any published official monthly usage and data limit or network policy. Therefore, they offer an unlimited amount of data without throttling the speed or charging extra fees when users exceed the limit. This makes Fios the better option for households that need high data usage since the prices are more affordable as compared to the Gigantic plan.

Bundling Options

There is sometimes a lot of discount when you combine your TV, phone and/or internet connection to one company every month. In Frontier, customers can make orders for bundles that include internet, television, and home telephony services just like in Verizon Fios.

Verizon’s Fios package often has more leeway in this respect. For example, it is possible to subscribe to Fios Gigabit internet service and then subscribe to Fios TV service then top it up with a third-party wireless service and all these will be covered under one bill. Essentially, Frontier bundles operate more narrowly in concert with only other Frontier services.

Verizon Fios therefore ultimately offers a better level of flexibility on how one can choose which specific services one wants while accessing the set bundle discounts. Frontier bundles work in a more limited fashion, in a more traditional fashion, where the only way to achieve further savings is through the purchase of more Frontier products.

Availability of Fiber Optics

There is one major limitation on the level of internet connectivity that Frontier can provide, and this is related to the absence of fiber optic connections in many areas. As highlighted, Verizon Fios sends out information through 100% fiber optic networks only. Here, Frontier chiefly utilizes a more archaic copper-wired DSL system characteristic of early telephony.

Unfortunately, this is still the case, meaning large parts of Frontier’s coverage area are hampered by this outmoded network delivery system. This leads to much lower maximum speeds as a consequence because DSL is not capable of transmitting data as quickly as fiber optics. Frontier does provide its fiber internet service, called Frontier Fiber, in a few of the areas they have transitioned to. However, the availability is still limited compared to Verizon Fios’ all-fiber network today.

This cost is not cheap since it involves putting in new fiber lines to enable the provision of much-needed services. Thus, Frontier falls far short of Verizon when it comes to making those infrastructure investments, which would allow for top-end speed and future capacity requirements.

Home Networking Technology

It also stands out over Frontier when it comes to available in-home Wi-Fi options as well. This router hardware as a standard feature offered with Verizon Fios subscriptions tends to rank higher for range and performance tests. Which is beneficial for creating seamless wireless links across your living environment as you have seen above.

In addition, all these Verizon Fios routers are equipped with a rechargeable battery backup. Therefore even if you do have not power in your home or office, the router can continue to broadcast your existing WiFi network for several hours with battery backup. Frontier routers could use that, it’s a really handy feature for changing settings to manage usage.

On this aspect, both ISPs charge their customers for the routers, but unlike Spectrum, Verizon Fios does not stick customers with high equipment rental prices for the devices. For the Fios service, Verizon offers the option to switch to owning your router after paying a certain amount of months of renting it. Currently, Frontier expects customers to pay for equipment rental as frequently as their monthly bills indefinitely on their basic routers.

Introductory Pricing

Since we have observed Frontier to be cheaper than Verizon Fios in most of their offers, Verizon Fios does have comparatively higher rates, in its normal pricing structure, especially at the higher speed classes for a similar class of service. However, Verizon Fios is known to have deeper promotional offers for new customers than these steady prices.

For instance, you can be offered a Fios service that enables you to access 500 Mbps at $40 per month for the first year. While Frontier could only offer a 50% discount for their 150 Mbps tier down to $50 per month for only first-year customers.

It is important to consider, however, that the rates will rise after one year as promotional rates elapse. However, Fios tends to price lower initially which somewhat makes up for the difference of the costs between them and Frontier in the long run.

It was noted that in some cases, there is no alternative market at all.

The final consideration is somewhat relative to your exact location or the part of the city you are in. It is worth mentioning that there are still a few address locations, typically rural, where Frontier Communications is the only provider of high-speed Internet services. Your address also might not even be eligible to receive Verizon Fios in the first place.

Sometimes, Frontier is your only choice; thus, issues concerning the comparison of providers are irrelevant in these instances. Of course, you’ll want to consider those packages that Frontier can provide where the networks you need for your household can be accessed.

Of course, there is always another generation of connections like satellite broadband or even 4G/5G cellular data as well. However, for proper home installation, some of the areas especially in the rural areas have infrastructure for cable or DSL single provider only. Thus, your decision gets made for you, regarding simply who services the property location in particular.

The Bottom Line

So, if the option is available, you are generally going to get more for your money when getting Verizon Fios. You get better base speed, top-notch fiber optic consistency, great bundled package offers, and superior home wiring technology. The only sources of Frontier’s revenue enhancements are through promotions in the short run and addressing other locations than where Verizon has already laid fiber optic cables.

However, Frontier Communications still stands as a decent second choice when Fios is out of reach, or when all one needs is the bare minimum of internet connectivity at the cheapest price tag. They are valuable for serving less-affluent markets that may not require other new advanced broadband structures. A mix of options implemented by different ISPs ensures broad internet availability across the U.S., even if fiber optics is still somewhat limited in adoption.

Thus, be as selective as possible when it comes to choosing your provider by being clear on what speeds and connection types are available at your address. With these, one is to compare their current monthly rates side by side and what promotional discount they offer as well. All of the variables will be considered to identify which of the two companies is more suitable for signing up. However, in a scenario where there is a choice to make between the two, Verizon Fios is often the better internet service provider than Frontier.