Consumers Are Increasingly Adopting New Tech That May Drive Future Upgrades

The COVID-19 pandemic helped drive increased consumer adoption of technologies and internet services. Growth in video viewership surged, the home office returned with the rise in remote workers, and consumers adopted a multitude of internet-connected and consumer electronics and smart home products. This increased demand on home networks drove large-scale consumer purchases of networking equipment and triggered internet service providers to begin deploying next-generation networking products and services to their subscriber bases. Upload speeds became vital to many consumers, as did smooth Wi-Fi coverage throughout properties and advanced network control functionality.

Since 2016, the average number of connected devices has almost doubled - rising from 9 per household in 2016 to 16 per household in 2022.

These devices comprise a mix of smart health, smart home, and computing and entertainment products. Products are in many areas of the home, with many smart home products such as IP cameras deployed to the edge of the network and smart TVs occupying multiple rooms of the household. The return of the home office likewise stressed home networks, with uplink speeds becoming a vital factor in many consumers’ internet usage needs.

Increases in streaming volume, device adoption, and the return of the home office resulted in consumers needing high-speed internet and sufficient coverage across their entire home. It drove a wave of CPE upgrades among consumers, triggering internet service providers to begin their own replacement cycles. However, during this time many BSPs experienced supply-chain disruptions, causing them to need to delay their plans. The quick rollout of Wi-Fi 6E on the heels of Wi-Fi 6 has likewise resulted in some delays on the part of BSPs, with many considering how best to approach their deployment strategies.

Consumers are increasingly adopting new technologies that may well act to drive further upgrades and increased service adoption in the coming years. Smart TV adoption, particularly of smart 4K televisions, continued smart home device adoption, cloud gaming services, and continued virtual reality growth will strain home networks. Consumers making use of these products and services will require high-quality CPE and services that maintain high-quality digital experiences. As the percentage of households overall performing these tasks increases, so will network requirements.

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