Providing Market Intelligence for 40 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

Amazon Prime Music Still The Biggest US Subscription Service

As Amazon launches its standalone Music Unlimited streaming service, research firm Parks Associates has been reminding the industry of the popularity of the company’s existing Prime Music offering, ba...

For Sprint, T-Mobile, Plans Will Be Unlimited—And Less.

Wireless data usage is growing steadily from 2015-16 as consumers shift data-heavy activities from desktop to mobile. According to Parks Associates’ latest survey data, average monthly wireless data c...

Self-Driving Cars Could Be $20 Billion Boon to Hollywood

In January, Jennifer Kent, connected car analyst for Parks Associates, said we may also be nearing connectivity in cars that would support video streaming. She projected it would take three to five ye...

Digital Publishers Lost $41.4 Bn Due To Ad Blocking: Study

“Many content creators rely on advertising revenue to monetise video, especially as newly launched digital services seek revenue. As digital video viewership increases on all screens, use of ad-blocki...