10Gbps broadband delivers up to 1.25GB per second over fibre. This guide covers real-world speeds, XGS-PON vs GPON technology, compatible routers, and everything you need to set up a 10Gbps network!
| 10,000 Maximum Mbps symmetrical speed on XGS-PON | ~40 sec To download a 50GB 4K movie at full speed | 4+ Users Simultaneous 4K streaming, gaming, and working |
In This Guide
10Gbps broadband is a fibre internet connection with a maximum speed of up to 10,000 megabits per second. It is the fastest home broadband tier available in Singapore, running on a newer fibre technology called XGS-PON.
To see the difference in practice: a full 4K movie (about 50GB) downloads in around 40 seconds. A 100GB game installs in under two minutes. And because 10Gbps is symmetrical, your upload speed matches your download speed, so backing up photos to the cloud or uploading videos happens at the same pace.
Gbps vs GB/s: Why the Numbers Look Different
Internet speed is measured in gigabits (Gb), while file sizes are measured in gigabytes (GB). There are 8 bits in 1 byte, so 10Gbps translates to about 1.25GB per second of actual file transfer. When you see a 50GB download, divide 50 by 1.25 and you get roughly 40 seconds at full speed.
All 3 UltraSpeed tiers run on the same XGS-PON fibre network, so you get symmetrical speeds (upload equals download) on every plan. The difference is how much total bandwidth your household has to share. Here is how the numbers compare on everyday tasks.
| Task | 3Gbps | 5Gbps | 10Gbps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download a 50GB 4K movie | ~2.2 min | ~1.3 min | ~40 sec |
| Download a 100GB game | ~4.4 min | ~2.6 min | ~80 sec |
| Upload a 10GB video | ~27 sec | ~16 sec | ~8 sec |
| Back up 500GB to cloud | ~22 min | ~13 min | ~6.5 min |
| Smooth 4K streaming for | 1–2 users | 2–4 users | 4+ users |
Times assume symmetrical speeds at theoretical maximums. Real-world speeds depend on your router, cabling, and network conditions.
What About Real-World Speeds?
You will not hit the full 10,000Mbps on a speed test. Over a wired connection, expect around 6,500 to 8,500Mbps. Over WiFi 7, individual devices typically reach 2,000 to 3,000Mbps. This is normal across all router brands. The benefit is the shared pool: 10Gbps of total bandwidth means every device in your home performs better, even if no single device uses it all.
The fibre-optic technology your connection runs on. All broadband in Singapore travels through fibre-optic cables, but the standard on each end of the cable determines how much speed you get. Think of the cable as a road and the standard as the speed limit: the same road with a higher speed limit moves more traffic.
Most homes in Singapore still run on a standard called GPON, which was built for speeds up to 2.5Gbps. 10Gbps broadband uses a newer standard called XGS-PON, designed from the ground up for 10Gbps symmetrical speeds. The difference is not in the fibre cable itself (the same cable works for both), but in the equipment on each end processing your data.
1 Symmetrical speeds
On GPON, your upload speed is much slower than your download (1.25Gbps upload vs 2.5Gbps download). On XGS-PON, both directions run at the same speed: up to 10Gbps. This means uploading files, video calls, and cloud backups are as fast as downloading.
2 Lower latency
Latency is the delay between sending a request and getting a response. XGS-PON processes data faster than GPON, which means less lag when gaming, smoother video calls, and more responsive browsing.
3 More headroom for multiple devices
With 10Gbps of total bandwidth, every device in your home gets a larger share of speed. Even during peak hours when everyone is online, no single activity (a game download, a 4K stream, a Zoom call) has to compete with the others for bandwidth.
GPON and XGS-PON are both fibre-optic standards, but they were designed for different eras of internet usage. GPON was built when most households needed less than 1Gbps. XGS-PON was built for today's multi-device, high-bandwidth homes. Here are the key specifications and what each one means in plain terms.
| Spec | What it means | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Max download speed | How fast data reaches you. Affects streaming, browsing, and game downloads. | Higher is better |
| Max upload speed | How fast data leaves your home. Affects video calls, cloud backups, and social media uploads. | Higher is better |
| Symmetrical speeds | Whether upload and download run at the same speed. If not, uploads are slower than downloads. | Yes is better |
| Coexists with older standards | Whether upgrading requires new fibre cabling in your home, or works over your existing cable. | Yes is better (no rewiring needed) |
| GPON | XG-PON | XGS-PON | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max download speed | 2.5 Gbps | 10 Gbps | 10 Gbps |
| Max upload speed | 1.25 Gbps | 2.5 Gbps | 10 Gbps |
| Symmetrical speeds | No | No | Yes |
| Works over existing fibre cable | N/A | Yes | Yes |
Where You Feel the Difference Most
Upload speed. On GPON, uploading a 10GB video takes about a minute because the upload ceiling is 1.25Gbps. On XGS-PON, the same upload finishes in roughly 8 seconds. If you back up files to the cloud, post content online, or rely on video calls for work, the symmetrical speed on XGS-PON is the single biggest improvement you will notice.
If any of these situations sound familiar, 10Gbps broadband solves the problem at the source.
✓ Your internet slows down in the evening
Everyone gets home and starts streaming, gaming, and scrolling at the same time. On a lower-tier plan, the bandwidth gets divided and each person's experience suffers. With 10Gbps, there is enough total bandwidth for four or more people to stream 4K, game, and video-call simultaneously without any of it slowing down.
✓ Game downloads take forever and block everything else
A 100GB game update on a slower connection ties up bandwidth for minutes, and everyone else in the house feels it. On 10Gbps, the same download finishes in about 80 seconds over a wired link, and the rest of the household barely notices it happened.
✓ Video calls freeze or drop quality during work hours
When someone else in the house starts a large download or streams a video while you are on a work call, your call quality drops. 10Gbps gives your video call its own lane of bandwidth so it stays stable regardless of what else is happening on the network.
✓ Uploading files or backing up to the cloud takes too long
Older connections have much slower upload speeds than download speeds. If you upload videos for work, back up photos to Google Drive or iCloud, or post content to social media, the symmetrical 10Gbps upload on XGS-PON makes these tasks finish in seconds instead of minutes.
✓ Your smart home devices seem to slow everything down
Security cameras, robot vacuums, smart speakers, and IoT sensors all consume bandwidth in the background. On a smaller plan, these devices eat into the speed available for your streaming and browsing. 10Gbps provides enough headroom for dozens of connected devices without affecting your core experience.
Your broadband connection is a chain of equipment between the fibre cable in your wall and the device in your hand. Each link in the chain needs to support 10Gbps, because the slowest link sets the speed for everything behind it. Here are the five links, starting from the wall.
This is the small box on your wall, usually in the living room or utility area, where the fibre cable from your building enters your home. It is already installed by NetLink Trust and does not need to be changed for 10Gbps.
This device plugs into the wall box and converts the fibre-optic signal into an internet connection your router understands. An ONT is a standalone box needing a separate router. An ONR combines the fibre terminal and router into one device. StarHub provides this when you sign up, and a technician installs it for you.
The router takes the internet from the ONT and sends it to all your devices, wirelessly over WiFi and through ethernet cables. For 10Gbps, the router needs a 10Gbps WAN port (connecting to the ONT) and at least one 10Gbps LAN port (connecting to wired devices). StarHub's 10Gbps plan includes a TP-Link EB810v WiFi 7 router with these ports built in.
These are the cables running from your router to devices like desktops, gaming consoles, or smart TVs. For 10Gbps, use Cat6a cables. Older Cat5e cables are limited to 1Gbps and will bottleneck your connection. Look at the text printed on your existing cables to check which type you have.
Devices on WiFi benefit from the larger bandwidth pool automatically. For the highest wired speed on a specific device, it needs a 10Gbps network port or adapter. Most people do not need this, because the 10Gbps benefit is the total shared bandwidth across all your devices, not one device hitting peak speed.
Any router with at least one 10Gbps WAN port and one 10Gbps LAN port. If you prefer your own hardware over the included TP-Link EB810v, popular options include the TP-Link Archer BE800, ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro, and NETGEAR Orbi 970 Series. For more on the fibre terminal options, see our ONT vs ONR guide.
Figuring out ONTs, port types, and cable categories is not something you need to do yourself. When you sign up for a StarHub 10Gbps plan, our HubTroopers handle the entire setup at no extra cost.
A technician sets up your fibre terminal and WiFi 7 router, connects them, and tests the connection.
Router position affects WiFi coverage significantly. HubTroopers assess your home layout and place the router where it provides the strongest signal to every room.
If you live in a multi-storey house, landed property, or large flat, a single router might not cover every room. HubTroopers advise on how many mesh units you need and where to place them.
A few misconceptions come up often. Here is the reality behind each one.
✕ "I just upgraded to 10Gbps, why is my Speedtest only showing 500Mbps?"
The Reality
No WiFi standard delivers 10Gbps to a single device today. WiFi 7 reaches roughly 2,000 to 3,000Mbps in ideal conditions. The benefit of 10Gbps on WiFi is a larger shared bandwidth pool, so every wireless device gets a bigger share and performs better than on a slower plan.
✕ "Nobody needs speeds this fast"
The Reality
No single device needs 10Gbps. But your household has many devices online at once: smart TVs, laptops, phones, security cameras, and IoT gadgets all pull from the same connection. 10Gbps ensures every device gets enough bandwidth to run well at the same time, especially during peak evening hours.
✕ "I need to rewire my home to get 10Gbps"
The Reality
XGS-PON runs over the same fibre cable already installed in your home. The upgrade involves swapping your fibre terminal equipment (ONT or ONR) and activating the service. No new cabling is needed.
✕ "10Gbps means 10 gigabytes per second"
The Reality
Gigabits (Gb) and gigabytes (GB) are different units. There are 8 bits in 1 byte, so 10Gbps equals 1.25GB per second. When you see download speeds quoted in Gbps, divide by 8 to get the actual file transfer rate in gigabytes per second.
Quick answers to the most common questions about 10Gbps broadband in Singapore.
Over a wired connection with the right equipment, expect 6,500 to 8,500Mbps. Over WiFi 7, individual devices reach roughly 2,000 to 3,000Mbps. The full 10Gbps is shared across all connected devices.
GPON supports up to 2.5Gbps download and 1.25Gbps upload. XGS-PON supports 10Gbps in both directions (symmetrical). Both use the same fibre cable, so upgrading does not require new cabling in your home.
Any router with at least one 10Gbps WAN port and one 10Gbps LAN port. StarHub's 10Gbps plan includes a TP-Link EB810v WiFi 7 router with the required ports at no extra cost.
No. XGS-PON runs on the same fibre cable as GPON using different wavelengths. The upgrade swaps your terminal equipment and activates the new service. Your fibre stays the same.
Cat6a at minimum, which supports 10Gbps at distances up to 100 metres. Cat7 and Cat8 also work. Older Cat5e cables are limited to 1Gbps and will bottleneck your connection.
UltraSpeed 10Gbps
With ONT + WiFi 7 router
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