With current, global internet usage at an estimated 95% adoption, broadband has become a very competitive space. It’s not only the major broadband companies up against one another. More companies are entering the sector, eyeing business opportunities and working to differentiate themselves. But what is it that customers want? What should broadband companies be prioritizing to gain a competitive edge?
What do the 2025 trends say?
As expected, opinions double down on the development and integration of AI into various broadband offerings. From optimizing networks to improving customer experiences. The challenge remains balancing funding, testing and implementation, without any negative impact to current products or services. And, keep in mind that AI is not their thing, they’re just trying to get in on the action. Which most of the time means figuring out how to make a return on their AI investment.
Another leading trend is cybersecurity. Nothing new here. Keeping networks safe is becoming more challenging. Yes, in some cases AI can help. But it also helps the threat actors to circumnavigate the carefully implemented security protocols. Plus, the bigger the networks, and the older the networks, the bigger the risk. Trying to play catch up while keeping an eye on what competitors are or aren’t doing is yet another distraction to contend with in the broadband game.
Where are US broadband companies winning?
Leading broadband providers have seen good success with rolling out 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). A key element is that it’s been deployed with marginal additional investments required. Most companies will take that as a win.
Reports are that it’s good enough, for now. But companies can’t afford to settle for that, especially not in the competitive broadband space. User experiences now include access to generative AI tools and advanced gaming that require significantly more resources, will this remain the case?
What do users want?
Not surprisingly, users have the expectation to always have good, reliable connectivity, regardless of where they are. Public or private locations, or even when they’re on the move, they want to be able to stay connected. People take work calls and online meetings on the go. No-one wants to get dropped mid meeting due to a poor connection. Younger users stream and game and are even less impressed if signal drops for even a millisecond. Quality is not a nice-to-have, it’s essential to keep broadband customers happy.
User expectations are not just about quality, although that doesn’t get diminished by the fact that thousands of users demand equally good access at the same time. Think about how live events are promoted. Even the in-stadium experience has a major tech aspect to it. This means having broadband that can handle hundreds of thousands of users simultaneously. Add to that global live streaming of major events… the volume demand keeps increasing.
Companies too have high expectations for broadband as process optimization becomes smarter and more automated. Robotics, supply chain management, distribution and connecting different aspects of operations requires resilient connections. Cities, campuses, infrastructure. It’s the connection that makes it all work, or not work. In the end it’s the most reliable broadband service provider that’ll remain the customer favorite.
