Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Old apartment buildings have some big broadband infrastructure problems

A majority (82%) of multi-dwelling units (MDUs) over 10 years old report internet connectivity challenges, according to a recent study from Comcast’s Xfinity Communities in collaboration with Parks Associates.

Issues include maintaining device connections over a Wi-Fi network and insufficient bandwidth, which can be difficult to fix due to the infrastructure of older apartment buildings, said Jennifer Kent, VP of research at Parks Associates.

She explained that unlike newer MDUs, these buildings were built without suitable wiring or the infrastructure to run new wiring. Older MDUs may have thicker walls or various types of building materials.

“So they might be looking at the cost of having to run all new wire throughout the building…which is obviously very cost-intensive,” she said.

Average internet spending MDUsAccording to Kent, apartment residents that pay for internet as part of their rent or through their property manager tend to spend less than those with a retail plan. Parks Associates found MDU residents with a bulk internet arrangement pay around $40 per month, compared to $64 per month for retail internet.

Parks Associates noted these figures are “standalone” service prices, meaning these are residents who don’t have add-ons like pay TV or mobile bundled with their internet.

From the article, "Old apartment buildings have some big broadband infrastructure problems" by Masha Abarinova 

Previously In The News

TV's next big experiment: 'choose your own adventure'

Viewers vote on the actions of the protagonist -- leading to one of seven endings -- using a smartphone app while the movie keeps rolling seamlessly for between 70 and 90 minutes. "This type of con...

Facebook is developing a voice assistant, and it already has a home of its own

But Portal takes the social network off smartphones, which people typically use to access Facebook, and on to something larger — a smart display. People are expected to buy more than 64 million smart...

Smart home devices are 'valuable' to 75% of those who use them

As it turns out, smart home owners are really satisfied customers. Give them a chance to buy a connected device, like a smart thermostat, and nearly 75 percent of them are really happy with what they...

Amazon Takes On Netflix With $8.99 Monthly Video Streaming Service

Netflix is by far the biggest online streaming video service. Last week, researcher Parks Associates estimated that about half of all U.S. households with a broadband Internet connection subscribed to...