A lot less than you think.
Here is a secret. Most people use only a fraction of the bandwidth they are paying for. Industry marketing has convinced them that they need 500 or 1000 mbps service for their internet.
According to a guide published by Speedtest.net “A good rule of thumb is that download speeds of at least 100 Mbps and upload speeds of 10 Mbps are widely considered fast enough to handle nearly any online activity.”
I checked the help pages on Netflix for bandwidth requirements. What they say is:
High definition (HD) needs 3 Mbps or higher
Full high definition (FHD) requires 5 Mbps or higher
Ultra high definition (UHD) 4K requires 15 Mbps or higher
If you take the amount of data used by an above average household throughout the day and calculate the bandwidth needed to download it all just during peak usage hour, you will need less than 45 Mbps
Based on my own experience with our network, I know that the vast majority rarely exceed 100 mbps at peak time.
It is puzzling… a bit like buying a luxury sports car and using it for your daily commute where you never hit the top speed the car is capable of.
If you can afford it, that is wonderful. Most people are on a budget and want reliable and affordable transportation.
That is exactly why we offer reliable and affordable service with strong local support.
This does not mean our speeds are slow compared to the other guys. For example satellite internet costs $80 to $120 per month with upfront costs. We beat their speeds and price all day long.