Definition: download/upload speed

The speed of an Internet connection, which is divided into download vs. upload. Download speeds are always greater than the upload for residential customers. For example, a tiny text query to a video website might return a million times as much data (download). The requirement for commercial customers is exactly the opposite. They receive many small queries (download) which may result in sending out (uploading) huge amounts of data. The FCC has always defined minimum speeds for residential customers (see broadband minimum speed).

From the Congressional Research Service (CRS)
In 2021, CRS, the public policy research institute of the U.S. Congress defined the following range of speeds for Internet transmission:

               Download   Upload
   Broadband     Range     Range
   Technology   (Mbps)    (Mbps)

     cable      10-500     5-50

     DSL         5-35      1-10

     fiber     250-1000   250-1000

     fixed
     wireless   10-25       1

     GEO
     satellite    25        3

     LEO
     satellite   100       20

  GEO = geostationary
  LEO - low-earth orbit