FIOS Speed Compared to DSL
Before, with my old Speakeasy DSL 3 static IP 1.5Mb / 768kb service for $89.99 per month plus taxes:
After, with Verizon FIOS for Business 5 static IP 15Mb / 2Mb service for $99.99 per month plus taxes:
Both tests were performed against the Speakeasy Washington DC pop. In theory, the Speakeasy speed test should have been even faster, as the POP is fewer hops when you start on the Speakeasy network.
Buffering time on videos is now minimal, and downloads are significantly faster. Of course, at a speed like this, other sites on the internet will be your primary bottleneck, as well the number of hops Verizon takes to get to the major backbone line(s).
Line quality limited me to the 1.5/768 service from Speakeasy (Covad) before. Unless you are right on the office, you're unlikely to get much faster than that. Copper wire line quality and distance (within reason) don't come into play with the FIOS service, so I can take just about whatever they'll send me up to 100Mb (my theoretical limit internally is 1000Mb, but since not all my networking equipment is Cat5e, some of it is Cat5, I'll plan to max at 100Mb). They offer service that is 30Mb/5Mb, but that runs $389/month - way out of most home budgets.