In-home Wi-fi Problems Create Customer Churn Risk: Parks Associates

In-home Wi-Fi problems create customer churn risk: Parks Associates

Broadband customers who experienced Wi-Fi dead spots, slow speeds, and poor customer service were about six times more likely to say they planned to switch providers, according to a new white paper from Parks Associates. The firm produced the paper in partnership with TechSee.

The white paper drew on surveys of 8,000 U.S. internet households, mostly conducted in the third quarter of 2025. It argued that as speeds rise and competition intensifies from fiber overbuilders, fixed wireless, and satellite, the in-home experience matters more to customers than raw speed.

As of late 2025, more than a quarter of U.S. internet households reported speeds of 1 Gbps or faster, and only 12% reported speeds below 100 Mbps. Self-reported download speeds had more than doubled in five years, the report said, though few household applications required such speeds.

Parks Associates measured the effect of service issues using net promoter score (NPS), a metric of customer satisfaction and willingness to recommend a provider. The firm found that:

• Customers with Wi-Fi dead spots had an average NPS of -17, which was 27 points below the industry average
• Customers with slow download speeds averaged -19, or 29 points below average
• Customers reporting poor customer service averaged -19, or 28 points below average

Customers with all three problems had an average NPS of -28, and 43% said they were likely to change providers within 12 months. Customers without those issues had an average NPS of 22, and 7% said they were likely to switch.

The report also found that support tools were underused. A quarter of U.S. internet households used a router or gateway app, but only about 7% used one to reach customer support. Among smart home device owners, 40% of customers reported devices losing Wi-Fi connectivity, and 41% of those with technical problems needed professional help to fix them.

Truck rolls can resolve such issues, but the report described them as costly and inconvenient for customers. The paper argued that apps using visual AI — which lets customers share photos or video of their setup — could help identify problems such as poor router placement.

The findings echoed comments from Plume Chief Business Officer Dave Wechsler, who told Telecompetitor that customers tended to blame their broadband provider when Wi-Fi performed poorly. Wechsler also noted how AI could help providers manage home networks.

Telecompetitor