Why upload speed matters?

In a country which is ranked 74th globally in terms of average internet speed, we are suddenly being swept away in the tide of overwhelming download speeds.  A fair account of the current scenario of our internet speeds can be accessed from the fact that the country's average download speed is 12.37 Mbps and average upload speed is around 2.9 Mbps (Stats from speedtest.net).

Ever wondered why in recent years upload speed is increasingly becoming as important as downloading speed? Read on.

From time immemorial, the use of higher downloading speeds has been very important for downloading files, browsing the web and accessing various image/video/audio files online. On the contrary, the need for higher uploading speed was restricted to selected businesses which required extensive file transfers (especially using FTP).

Today, as our file sizes continue to grow, our patience to wait for a file to download/upload is rapidly declining. This is because of the massive difference between downloading and uploading speeds. You may be downloading a 700 Mb file in 10 minutes but uploading the same sometimes may take over an hour. The increased usage of apps that include cloud-based services, video calls, live streaming, online gaming and greater size file transmission have instigated a demand for higher upload speeds.

For the last couple of years, trends and technology have changed. We are increasingly getting dependent on the Internet for both official and personal reasons. Especially with the advent of Internet of Things, we have ventured into this new realm of digital world which has connected our lives to things, albeit remotely.

In simpler terms, the traditional two-way protocol communication process of uploading & downloading has now evolved, as we are now transmitting more and more data packets "up" to the Cloud (Internet) than ever before. Even bigger problems of network congestion can arise when multiple users on the same network, try to use upload-intensive applications simultaneously. For instance, consider a scenario where you are playing a game online, and at the same instant, your room-mate initiates a video call. Now if your upload speed is restricted then both of you are inevitably going to face connectivity issues or lagging.

Nowadays, each individual owns more "smart" devices than ever before, and every device requires an internet connection. In this case, constant uploading takes up a part of the same bandwidth thereby affecting downloads as well.##BlogVASBanner##

You may be pretty happy with your 10 Mbps downloads and  2 Mbps uploads but do you realize that your smart phone can capture more mb in a second as a photo, while it will take you a couple of minutes to attach and upload it in the same size.

Whether you have pondered over this or not, but if you have ever been dissatisfied with your internet because it was really slow or lagging despite having an "x" Mbps download plan, we'd recommend you check your internet usage patterns, test your current upload/download speeds and rather switch to symmetric internet speeds in order to save your precious time and be more efficient.

Need for Symmetrical Speed

Clearly, the need of the hour is symmetrical speed i.e. equal download and upload speeds. People who are hooked on to social media, online gaming or media streaming, are increasingly becoming aware of critical upload speeds. On the contrary, businesses have already started switching to Fiber Network not only due to greater bandwidth but due to symmetric speeds.

Digital India's biggest advantage has been the creation of new-age jobs - Candid Movie Makers, Photographers, YouTubers, Instagrammers, Bloggers, and Freelancers. The common thread connecting all these jobs is "high-speed internet". And not just high speed, but, symmetrically high speed. Today, a single high resolution image file can go up to 30mb in size and uploading an album, may take hours together. This implies that even if you can watch live streams at lightning fast speed, you might end up working at snail's pace while uploading content.

Understanding broadband technology and internet speeds can be complicated for a layman, it is always advisable to choose wisely an internet connection which is your best match. This way you will have a better understanding of what it is that you are paying for and why.

Today, securing a fast internet connection isn't  enough, finding an internet connection with symmetrical upload/download speeds is the real deal. The demand for higher upload speeds is greater than ever, yet it continues to be only a fraction of all internet traffic. Since this demand is here to only increase every quarter, the million dollar question is, have you realized your dependency on upload speed yet?