A new report based on a huge data pool from more than 400 regional broadband service providers pinpoints a benchmark to achieve with subscriber churn. Less than 3% annual churn is the target to aim for, reported by 45% of respondents. However, more than half of respondents have more work to do to reduce their annual churn, currently at greater than 4%.
The report reveals that broadband providers with 5,000 or fewer subscribers experience higher churn rates, while those with more than 5,000 subscribers aren’t affected as much, perhaps signifying their access to resources that help them retain customers.
Preseem’s “ISP Network Report – 2025 Edition” employs a data pool of metrics on subscribers, equipment, and overall network performance. In addition to identifying trends, readers can use the report to compare their network’s performance against their peers worldwide.
This year’s edition, which covers both fiber and fixed wireless networks, includes a first-time section on Operator Metrics. In addition to churn, the report’s metrics looked at broadband customer satisfaction and customer service standards.
Most respondents that actively track customer satisfaction metrics, such as their Net Promoter Score (NPS), are performing exceptionally well with scores greater than 61. The NPS measures a customer’s willingness to recommend a product or service. Scores greater than 50 are excellent, according to Bain & Company, and scores greater than 80 are “world-class.”
NPS scores for broadband providers directly correlate to churn, said the report. The higher the NPS or customer satisfaction score, the lower the churn. A vast majority of providers with NPS scores above 61 also reported churn rates of below 3%.
“Efficient customer support and speedy ticket resolutions are hallmarks of a successful ISP,” the report noted.
A common way to measure support efficiency (for in-house teams) is by looking at the number of full-time employees (FTEs) dedicated to support. The report shows this as the number of subscribers managed per employee, and it clearly shows efficiency gains as provider size increases.
More than half (52%) of survey respondents are able to resolve network-related support calls in less than an hour. However, 13% need more than 4 hours to resolve the same calls. The report finds that broadband network reliability is a key driver of customer retention and reducing churn.
The Preseem report also found that latency has improved each year as operators are keeping up with consumer demand. As their speed plan increases, many subscribers don’t consume much more data. Speed plans of more than 100 Mbps often sit idle.
A separate report, from October, found that although some consumers are paying significantly higher rates for internet access than when they initially signed up with their broadband service provider, they largely reject the idea of cutting their internet bills by agreeing to data caps.
