Your best tenants are also the most demanding from their internet service in terms of speed. They are typically high-usage subscribers, well aware that they are likely not getting what they pay for when it comes to cable internet. They typically do not have any recourse. Until now. When you provide your tenants internet service through Aditum, you can honestly promote higher speeds and a better experience – differentiating your building’s offering in the process.
Internet “speed” is usually represented to the consumer end user in terms of Mbps upload and download speeds. Many cable company subscription plans will feature a number in the plan name, with that number representing the fasted Mbps possible under the plan. Not surprisingly, the higher the possible speed, the higher the cost of the subscription plan.
The problem is that those speeds are rarely actually available to the end user. One reason is consumers don’t often require that full amount of bandwidth for very long, typically only when beginning a download or for very short periods of time for an upload. (Most consumers do not upload very much speed-sensitive data). Frankly, if they are paying for 100 Mbps but only receive 80 Mbps, they are not likely to notice.
Another reason is the contention ratio. Broadband internet networks, such as cable internet, bring a fixed amount of bandwidth to a node, which serves multiple users. The greater the number of users served by the node, the more competition exists for the fixed amount of bandwidth available; representing a higher contention ratio. Because there are two sides to the equation, it is difficult to determine whether a specific contention ratio is too high. But some US cable systems have reported contention ratios of over 500 users per node, while others are in the 200-300 range. It’s fair to say the users on the 500:1 node did not have a service experience on par with those with lower ratios.
The economics of building out a cable internet distribution network quickly become apparent. Put as many users on a node as practical and over-subscribe the amount of ‘speed’ available. Prioritize the throughput for the higher-paying subscribers (up to a certain point) and the perception of value will be created.
Internet providers in the UK were recently subjected to new “truth in advertising” laws when it comes to the internet speeds provided to their customers. Prior to the new law, internet providers could say “up to” a certain speed if at least 10% of users were provided those speeds. The new criteria stated they had to provide the promised speeds at least half of the time. Eleven out of twelve major suppliers failed the test and were forced to change their advertising.
What are the requirements in the US? We don’t have any, although the ad industry’s self-regulatory body will sometimes insist an advertiser drop patently untrue claims. The FCC used to issue annual reports comparing advertised to actual speeds, but that has not happened during the Trump administration. Given the administration’s stance on net neutrality, which encourages throttling data, it is not likely they will take up a conflicting cause.
Users themselves, then, are left without a way to know if they are consistently getting what they paid for from cable internet. This should be a particularly sensitive issue to the more sophisticated user; the type of user that represents your best tenant.
You can solve this dilemma for them by providing internet service through Aditum.
Technically, your building will become a node of its own. Since you control the amount of bulk bandwidth that comes to the node (we’ll help you calculate the proper amount), users in your building can experience internet service equivalent to a much lower contention ratio. You will be able to honestly claim a higher percentage of speed availability. Power users can still subscribe to higher speed plans with Aditum, and you’ll collect the subscription premium.
Learn how to differentiate your building from the competition and position your property as a premium destination for the best type of tenant with internet service through Aditum. Contact us today.