Communications Solutions Featured Article

FTTH a Key Amenity for Home Buyers

By Gary Kim, Contributing Editor

A national study of U.S. broadband consumers by RVA LLC Market Research and Consulting shows that 82 percent of those buyers who have had fiber to the home access rank it as the leading real estate development amenity. The key word here is “amenity.”

 

Both current FTTH users and non-FTTH broadband users ranked optical access ahead of green space, walking, jogging or biking trails, for example. FTTH also was considered more important than neighborhood patrols, pools and parks or fitness centers.

 

Even among broadband customers who cannot get fiber, nearly 70 percent want "very high-speed Internet from a direct fiber-optic line" at the next home they buy, the study showed.

 

The survey of more than 600 FTTH consumer users and more than 600 other broadband consumer users

 

In another RVA study, very high-speed Internet,such as over fiber, ranked second only to landscaping and setting on a list of 23 amenities, ahead of features such as pools, home automation, shops, a fitness center, a dog park, a golf course, Wi-Fi at the pool area, day care or concierge services.

 

Of course, the survey questions did not include options for the considerations most people have when buying a home. The old adage "location, location, location" is the most glaring omission. Neither did the questionnaires appear to include "price" as an option. Of course, the surveys did not claim to measure how important FTTH might be, all things considered.

 

Respondents were not able to evaluate and rank the importance of the home's location, the other elements of local infrastructure, the character or "quality" of a neighborhood, the home's quality, proximity to work and schools, the quality of local schools or parking, for example. 

 

Access to important highways or public transportation lines can be quite important. Recreational opportunities, shopping, services, restaurants and other amenities also are important to most home buyers. Crime rates also are relevant.

 

That isn't to say FTTH availability is undesirable. But it's a bit hard to measure how important optical access availability is, as a factor in home purchasing. All things being equal, it is a plus. What isn’t so clear is how meaningful a role is played by FTTH access in the overall buying decision. One senses it remains very much at the fringe of the decision process.

 

 

Gary Kim (News - Alert) is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Gary’s articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Jessica Kostek