ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- More consumers say they would consider a telecom communications bundle over one offered by a cable company, according to a new study released today from CFI Group. The CFI Group Telecom-Cable Industry Report found that higher customer satisfaction with telecom companies gives it an advantage over cable companies as they battle for customers in a converged marketplace.

The study, which examined customer satisfaction for video, broadband Internet access, and wireless communications, found that cable companies lag telecom companies in customer satisfaction in all areas where they offer competing services. Telecoms have partnered with satellite TV companies, which have superior customer satisfaction to cable. Conversely, cable companies have aligned themselves with wireless carriers that have the worst customer satisfaction score as measured by the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

"For many customers, it's a choice between the lesser of two evils, but our research suggests that telecom has an opportunity to take advantage of its relatively superior customer satisfaction," said Phil Doriot, Program Director for CFI Group. "That's not to say that cable companies are out of the game. They're just not accustomed to this kind of competition and have a lot of work to do if they want to keep customers from defecting."

CFI Group