With the competition for high speed connectivity from FTTH, fixed wireless access (FWA), 5G and even low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite providers getting more intense every day, cable operators increasingly find themselves at a crucial crossroads. To navigate this tricky terrain, cablecos must adopt fresh growth strategies to remain relevant and competitive in the US broadband market.

That is particularly true as fiber providers continue to make deep inroads into a market that cable dominated for decades. In the latest figures compiled by the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), for instance, fiber lines now pass nearly 70 million unique homes, or slightly more than half of all US residences. And that number promises to keep surging each year as the federal government pours tens of billions of dollars into the market to subsidize new fiber networks throughout the nation.

Fortunately, cable operators have a lineup of promising growth strategies they can pursue to stay competitive. This lineup includes upgrading their legacy hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) infrastructure for next-gen DOCSIS and/or PON technologies; delivering mobile, FWA and fixed mobile convergence (FMC) services; developing new services for the commercial sector; and expanding their overall offerings for consumers, among other things.

But it is not just about pivoting to fiber, becoming an MVNO or building a strong commercial customer base. More than anything else, cablecos must come up with new ways of conducting business with their customers.

Specifically, cable operators must find ways to react faster to market needs and conditions, resolve troublesome service issues quicker and more effectively and just make it easier for subscribers to buy new products and services. Operators also must craft the right service offerings to attract customers and make it simpler for them to obtain the support they need.

All this is much easier said than done because carrying out such moves can be quite daunting. The chief challenges include:  

Nevertheless, tackling all these issues is critical for the industry to move forward. Because whoever gets all, or even most, of these things right will win the battle for broadband supremacy. And winning that battle is what it is all about, right?

In response to these market forces, BSS/OSS vendors like Netcracker have developed a suite of targeted Broadband Experience Solutions designed to help operators counter their revenue declines and stave off the mounting competition from fiber and other rival providers. How much difference these solutions can and will make is anybody's guess. But clearly, there is a need for such solutions.

This blog is sponsored by Netcracker.