Speed vs. Stream: ACSI Findings Showcase Fiber Internet’s Dominance
Internet service providers see a 4% increase in customer satisfaction in ACSI’s latest report but still rank low among industries. Explore further insights to understand customer perspectives.
- The ACSI report shows a 4% increase in ISP customer satisfaction, reaching 71 out of 100. AT&T Fiber led with 80, while smaller ISPs and Verizon Fios increased to 77.
- CenturyLink Fiber dropped to 76, and newcomers Kinetic Fiber and Optimum Fiber debuted at 72 and 66.
- Among 5G ISPs, T-Mobile led with 76, followed by Verizon with 74. Cox and Spectrum rose to 68, while Optimum increased to 63. Xtream and Kinetic dropped to 61 and 56.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) has released its annual report on Internet Service Providers (ISPs), highlighting a 4% rise in overall customer satisfaction. ISPs scored 71 on the ACSI’s 100-point rating system, the highest since 2013, an improvement of three points over the previous year. Despite this positive trend, ISPs are still lower on the index, just above subscription TV services but lagging behind other sectors like airlines, hospitals, the US postal service, and social media companies.
| 2023 | 2024 | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiber Internet Service Providers | 75 | 76 | 1% |
| AT&T Fiber | 80 | 80 | 0% |
| All Others | 75 | 77 | 3% |
| Verizon Fios | 75 | 77 | 3% |
| CenturyLink Fiber (Lumen Technologies) | 78 | 76 | -3% |
| Frontier Fiber | 74 | 76 | 3% |
| Google Fiber | 76 | 76 | 0% |
| Xfinity Fiber (Comcast) | 73 | 75 | 3% |
| Kinetic Fiber by Windstream | Not Measured | 72 | Not Available |
| Optimum Fiber (Altice USA) | Not Measured | 66 | Not Available |
Fiber Internet Service Providers – Satisfaction Benchmarks by Company
Source: ACSI
Regarding revenue growth, AT&T Fiber maintained its top position among fiber ISPs with an ACSI score of 80. Following closely behind were smaller ISPs and Verizon Fios, both showing a 3% increase to reach 77, just 3 to 4 points below the leader.
Most fiber ISPs are maintaining or improving customer satisfaction compared to 2023. However, CenturyLink Fiber stands out with a 3% drop to 76, the same score as Frontier Fiber’s 3% increase and Google Fiber’s unchanged score. These three providers rank just ahead of Xfinity Fiber, which improved by 3% to 75. On the other hand, Kinetic Fiber by Windstream and Optimum Fiber scored 72 and 66, respectively, in their ACSI debut.
| 2023 | 2024 | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-fiber Internet Service Providers | 66 | 68 | 3% |
| T-Mobile 5G Home Internet | 73 | 76 | 4% |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | Not Measured | 74 | Not Available |
| AT&T Internet | 72 | 69 | -4% |
| Cox | 64 | 68 | 6% |
| Spectrum (Charter Communications) | 64 | 68 | 6% |
| Xfinity (Comcast) | 68 | 67 | -1% |
| All Others | 66 | 65 | -2% |
| Optimum (Altice USA) | 58 | 63 | 9% |
| CenturyLink (Lumen Technologies) | 62 | 62 | 0% |
| Xtream (Mediacom) | 65 | 61 | -6% |
| Frontier Communications | 61 | 59 | -3% |
| Kinetic by Windstream | 70 | 56 | -20% |
Non-Fiber Internet Service Providers – Satisfaction Benchmarks by Company
Source: ACSI
See more: Mobile Edge Computing: The Future of True 5G
Among the non-fiber 5G providers, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet and newcomer Verizon 5G Home Internet took the lead, scoring 76 and 74, respectively. AT&T Internet followed despite a 4% decrease to 69. Cox and Spectrum also saw a significant rise of 6% to 68.
Optimum saw the most significant growth in customer satisfaction among ACSI companies this year, with a remarkable 9% rise to an ACSI score of 63. On the other hand, Xtream dropped 6% and reached 61. In contrast, Kinetic by Windstream experienced a sharp 20% decrease and ended with an ACSI score of 56.
ISPs should prioritize enhancing customer service, providing competitive pricing, and making infrastructure investments to satisfy changing customer expectations. Despite positive trends, there’s still much room for improvement in service and pricing to meet customer demands and expectations.
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