Home Buyers More Inclined to High-Speed Internet Services

A national study of U.S. broadband consumers by RVA LLC Market Research and Consulting suggests home buyers are more inclined to buy homes that have high-speed broadband internet services carried on fiber all the way to the home.

 

Sellers are trying to take full advantage of the recovering real estate market and the research indicates that the edge they are looking for comes from fiber-based telecommunications services like Verizon FiOS (News - Alert) Internet and FiOS TV.

 

Verizon Communications deals in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.

 

A national random survey of more than 600 fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) consumer users was conducted in April, and a national random survey of more than 600 other broadband consumer users was conducted in May. Respondents were asked a series of perceptual questions and also were asked to test and report their current Internet speeds. Both surveys were done for the Fiber-to-the-Home Council. The survey showed that end-to-end fiber broadband service tops green space, a security patrol, a community pool, a park or a fitness center among sought-after amenities by the home buyers.

 

The need for faster broadband speeds among consumers is on the rise as they get to use more complex files and interactive services. Users also want multiple media devices in their homes to be internet ready which only increases the demand for much more faster broadband and these demands can be met quite easily with fiber-based facilities. The study has stated that this desire relates to current needs for fast Internet, the anticipation of even more online services in the future, and an appreciation that this amenity will add value to the home for future resale.

 

"The indication is that the personal space and connectivity really matter to the home buyer now, compared with public facilities; it's where home owners actually spend their time, and broadband is an increasing part of that time, so they want the best," Mike Render, CEO of RVA LLC said.

 

Censuses reveal that families generally stay put for at least 5.2 years, on average and users would show distinct preference to a home that is already wired for the future capable of adjusting to technological and broadband advancements. Realtors too agree that having a home with high-quality broadband capability is extremely desirable to potential home buyers because they want to be able to have secure Internet service without having to compromise on speed.

 

According to Bill Heilig, Verizon (News - Alert) vice president of corporate marketing, social trends also affect the quest for fiber-based service. "Teleworking is on the rise again, and nothing beats a 25 or 50 megabit-per-second downstream link for just-like-at-work service," he said. Verizon's FiOS Internet and FiOS TV services are provided over an all-fiber network straight to the home. The capacity of glass fibers is enormous, so the FiOS network is perfectly positioned to meet the demands of the Internet age.

 

Verizon feels that people are becoming more of information publishers than information consumers and they would need higher upload speeds too. Verizon anticipating higher user upload demands has increased the upstream speeds of its most popular bundled FiOS Internet services. The former offer of 10 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 2 Mbps upstream now includes upstream service at 5 Mbps, and the previous 20/5 Mbps service now comes with 15 Mbps upstream.

 

Verizon Wireless had recently introduced the company’s latest smartphone, the HTC Ozone and the company had stated that it is benefiting from the decision to go with a fiber to home program.