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.
According 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
“The $120 per month core package might cause some sticker shock among consumers. Compounding it, the fact that the consumer then also must pay a traditional operator for a robust broadband connection...
Parks breaks the numbers down like this: 63 percent of U.S. broadband households subscribe to an “over-the-top” video service like Netflix. Of those, nearly half subscribe to two or more services....
Before news broke Friday that AT&T has stopped bleeding TV customers, Parks Associates analyst Brett Sappington tried to put a finger on what sort of subscriber numbers for the company’s new streaming...
For a few hours on Sunday, Fox is nixing subscription requirements and opening its Fox Sports Go app to anyone who has cut cable from their lives or has a temperamental TV antenna. After the game ends...
