A new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange says the competitive landscape for rural broadband operators is rapidly evolving as improved technologies have made wireless broadband more viable and scalable, even in hard-to-serve public areas. Combined with changing consumer preferences and an influx of public and private investment, technological advances are reshaping the nature of rural connectivity. “The smartphone-broadband service bundle is proving to be a powerful competitive force,” said Jeff Johnston, digital infrastructure economist with CoBank. “It will become even more popular as technology improves, and consumer expectations continue evolving.” He also says the smaller broadband operators serving rural areas need to seriously evaluate whether offering mobile phone service may be necessary to defend their market share and position their operations for long-term growth. Satellite broadband is also evolving. SpaceX’s Starlink has set the pace, but Amazon’s Project Kuiper (KYE-pehr) will likely come to market much more aggressively this year.
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