Quantum Fiber vs CenturyLink: Which Should You Get?

Short answer: Quantum Fiber, clearly

This is not a close comparison. Quantum Fiber is fiber to the home; CenturyLink is DSL over the copper telephone line, where speed falls off with distance from the exchange and upload capacity is a fraction of fiber's. The only reason to consider CenturyLink is that it reaches an address Quantum Fiber does not.

Quantum Fiber is fiber to the home, operated by Lumen Technologies, Inc.. CenturyLink is dsl / copper, operated by Lumen Technologies, Inc..
Quantum Fiber: plans commonly range from 500 Mbps up to 8 Gbps where available.
CenturyLink: copper tiers commonly top out well below 100 Mbps and vary sharply with distance from the exchange.
Both operate in 1 of the markets FiberNear tracks, so this is a real choice rather than a hypothetical one in those cities.
Both are built out address by address. Whichever reaches your specific property usually settles the question before preference does — FiberNear checks that free.

Quantum Fiber vs CenturyLink, side by side

Quantum Fiber compared with CenturyLink
	Quantum Fiber	CenturyLink
Connection type	Fiber to the home	DSL / copper
How it reaches you	Fiber-to-the-home	DSL over copper telephone line — Lumen sells its fiber under the Quantum Fiber brand instead
Speeds	Plans commonly range from 500 Mbps up to 8 Gbps where available	Copper tiers commonly top out well below 100 Mbps and vary sharply with distance from the exchange
Where it runs	A wide western and midwestern footprint inherited from CenturyLink	A large legacy copper network across the West and Midwest
Known for	Flat, all-in monthly pricing with no contracts on fiber plans	Being progressively replaced by Quantum Fiber wherever Lumen has built fiber
Operated by	Lumen Technologies, Inc.	Lumen Technologies, Inc.

Speeds and footprints are advertised by each provider, vary by address, and change without notice. FiberNear does not set or guarantee them.

Gigabit fiber and multi-gig speed tiers: Quantum Fiber vs CenturyLink side by side

Both networks publish tiered plans, and the tier class matters as much as the top-line speed. Here is what each side offers as a tier, based on the plans each provider currently advertises.

Quantum Fiber offers multi-gig fiber, up to 8 Gbps advertised where available.
CenturyLink offers DSL over copper, advertised speeds capped by line distance.
Only Quantum Fiber is fiber, so its gigabit tier delivers matching upload speed. CenturyLink's advertised gigabit tier is a download figure, and its upload runs materially slower on the same plan.
Tier availability varies by address. A multi-gig plan advertised in a market is not offered at every address inside that market, since it depends on whether the local optical distribution supports it.

Tier classes are derived from each provider's own advertised plans and change without notice. FiberNear does not set or guarantee speeds.

Where Quantum Fiber and CenturyLink overlap

These are the markets FiberNear tracks where both networks operate, so the comparison is a real decision rather than a hypothetical. The percentage is the share of each city's residential locations reached by fiber of any brand, from FCC filings — it describes the market, not either company's own footprint.

Markets where both providers operate
Market	Fiber available	Cable available
Denver, CO	64.2%	93.3%

How often each one is actually available

Specifications decide which connection is better. Availability decides which one you can buy, and it is the part comparison pages usually skip. Across the 29 markets FiberNear holds FCC data for, this is how much of each city the two technologies reach at 100/20 Mbps or better:

Quantum Fiber is fiber, and fiber reaches a median of 64.2% of locations in a typical tracked market.
CenturyLink is copper, and copper reaches a median of 5.8%.
So in a typical market, Quantum Fiber's technology reaches about 58.5% more of the city — which is why the comparison so often ends up being decided by the address rather than by the plan.

Source: FCC Broadband Data Collection, residential fixed broadband, as of December 31, 2025. Figures are advertised availability self-reported by providers, not measured speeds. These are technology-level figures, not brand-level ones — the FCC's public summary files report how much fiber or cable reaches a city, but not which brand owns it, so no coverage percentage here should be read as a figure for Quantum Fiber or CenturyLink specifically.

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Common questions about fiber internet availability

Which is better, Quantum Fiber or CenturyLink?

Is Quantum Fiber faster than CenturyLink?

On advertised download speed the two are closer than most people expect. The difference that matters is upload: Quantum Fiber is fiber to the home and CenturyLink is dsl / copper, and those two technologies behave differently on upload and latency even when the download figure looks similar. Advertised tiers are set by each provider and vary by address.

Can I get both Quantum Fiber and CenturyLink at my address?

Sometimes, but far less often than the coverage maps suggest. Both networks are built out street by street, and plenty of addresses that show inside both footprints can only actually order one. Entering your address is the only way to find out which — FiberNear checks it free and there is no obligation.

Is FiberNear paid to recommend one of these?

No. FiberNear is an independent comparison and referral service, not an internet provider, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any carrier named here. We may be compensated if you choose to move forward with a provider, which never changes which options we show you.

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