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The Decline Curve: Cable and Satellite TV Are Four Years Ahead of Landline Telephone

Cable and satellite TV are about four years ahead of landline telephone on the same displacement journey, measured from each product's own peak household penetration. Drawing on Recon Analytics' video survey data, this report examines the remaining subscribers and cord-cutters driving the decline, why age is the moat that is expiring, and why the young households that buy live sports are choosing a vMVPD over cable and satellite.

Garrett Touchet Sep 30, 2026

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Telecom Strategy

Business Internet, On Your Terms: An SMB Guide to Evaluating, Negotiating, and Switching

Roughly one in six U.S. small and midsize businesses would not recommend their internet provider, yet almost all of them stay. Drawing on the Recon Analytics Business Telecom Pulse, this guide explains why unhappy business customers stay, how the top ISPs serve SMBs, and gives a practical playbook for negotiating with a current provider or switching cleanly.

Mitch Klaassen Sep 21, 2026

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Artificial Intelligence

The Judgment Premium: How AI Is Repricing American Work

Co-authored by Don Kellogg and Tanya Masiello, this report argues that AI is repricing American work along a line between execution and judgment. Drawing on Recon Analytics' AI Pulse Study, federal occupation data, and external payroll research, it shows execution-heavy work losing value while judgment-rich work commands a growing premium, with the sharpest disruption concentrated among younger, entry-level workers.

Don Kellogg Aug 19, 2026

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Telecom Strategy

Demanded and Hated: The Inherent Contradictions of Handset Financing and BYOD

Americans love their smartphones but resent the financing arrangements that increasingly deliver them. Drawing on approximately 337,000 U.S. wireless interviews conducted over twelve months, Demanded and Hated examines the central contradiction of handset subsidies: the device deal is the lowest-rated dimension of the wireless experience, yet it remains one of the most powerful reasons customers switch carriers. The report compares subsidized, financed, paid-off, outright-purchase, and bring-your-own-device customers across satisfaction, churn, demographics, upgrade behavior, and lifetime value. It finds that customers still paying for a device are the least satisfied and most likely to say they intend to leave, while the financing balance often delays their actual departure. Despite that resentment, subsidized customers remain more profitable on average because they maintain richer plans, attach more device protection, carry more lines, and remain with their carrier longer. Designed for wireless executives, investors, device manufacturers, and industry strategists, this report explains why handset subsidies still work, why their economics are deteriorating, and how emerging no-subsidy, BYOD, and converged-service strategies could reshape U.S. wireless competition.

Roger Entner Jul 24, 2026

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Telecom Strategy

Half-Connected America

America spent more than a decade and tens of billions of dollars attempting to close the digital divide. Yet beneath the headline statistics lies a far more complex communications landscape. Millions of Americans remain connected in different ways, challenging long-held assumptions about broadband adoption, consumer behavior, and digital inclusion. Drawing on more than 1.8 million interviews from the Recon Analytics Pulse, combined with data from the U.S. Census Bureau, NTIA, and CDC, Half-Connected America examines the distinct connectivity segments shaping today's communications market. It explores how these households differ, how they should be measured, and why understanding those differences matters for operators, investors, equipment vendors, and policymakers. Designed for executives responsible for broadband strategy, wireless competition, public policy, and infrastructure investment, this report provides a comprehensive data-driven framework for evaluating one of the most important and least understood shifts in the U.S. communications market.

Roger Entner Jun 25, 2026

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Artificial Intelligence

America's AI Hope Deficit: Fear Is Universal. Hope Has to Be Seen.

This research report explores how Americans perceive artificial intelligence through the lenses of fear, optimism, and real-world experience, arguing that the future of AI adoption may depend less on reducing concerns and more on demonstrating meaningful value. By examining attitudes across different segments of the population, the report offers strategic insights into the factors shaping public acceptance and what organizations can do to encourage broader engagement with AI technologies.

Garrett Touchet Jun 18, 2026

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SpaceX & Starlink

Connectivity at Cruising Altitude: What the SpaceX IPO Means for In-Flight Connectivity

This research note examines how Starlink and other low Earth orbit satellite providers are reshaping in-flight connectivity, airline loyalty economics, and competitive positioning following the SpaceX IPO, with implications for both airline executives and investors.

Brett Clark Jun 17, 2026

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Artificial Intelligence

How Much Grok Is in the Price? Disaggregating SpaceX's AI Revenue

SpaceX's valuation includes a large AI premium, but only part of that premium depends on Grok. This report breaks Goldman's 2030 AI revenue projection into its underlying pieces and sizes the Grok-dependent portion at roughly 14%. Drawing on Recon Analytics AI Pulse data, the analysis benchmarks Grok users against more than 44,000 US AI users to evaluate whether Grok's adoption, satisfaction, willingness to pay, and trust profile can support the revenue implied by the projection.

Michael Gooch-Breault Jun 12, 2026

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Artificial Intelligence

The Wrong Half: Why Ads Will Not Fix Consumer AI's Money Problem

Consumer AI is rapidly adopting the monetization playbook that transformed search, social media, and streaming. This report examines whether advertising can become the primary engine of long-term growth for AI platforms and explores the relationship between user behavior, subscription economics, and platform strategy across the consumer AI market. Drawing on Recon Analytics consumer research, the analysis evaluates how monetization decisions may shape competition among leading AI providers and influence the future economics of consumer artificial intelligence.

Don Kellogg May 29, 2026

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SpaceX & Starlink

Starlink's Opportunities and Challenges Selling Business Internet and Mobile Services

Starlink is emerging as a meaningful coverage-layer solution for underserved business markets, but its strongest opportunities may come through carrier partnerships rather than direct competition with incumbent operators. Drawing on nearly 10,000 business respondents and multiple 2026 survey waves, this report examines where satellite connectivity fits within business broadband strategy, rural coverage expansion, FWA backup architectures, and carrier-managed service models.

Daryl Schoolar May 26, 2026

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SpaceX & Starlink

Musk's Starlink: The S-1 Says Wholesale, The Pattern Says MNO

SpaceX's S-1 frames the wireless story as wholesale supply, but the broader operating pattern points to a more complex strategic picture. This report examines the public-record pieces surrounding Starlink, spectrum, regulatory approvals, network identity, deployment capability, carrier positioning, funding architecture, and the implications these developments may carry for incumbents, investors, policymakers, and capital allocators.

Roger Entner May 20, 2026

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Mobile Devices

US Consumer Device Purchase Journey – Part 4: Demographic Segmentation and the Upgrade Pipeline

Apple commands 73.7 percent of the 18-to-29 smartphone cohort and continues gaining share, while Samsung’s combined portfolio only overtakes Apple among consumers aged 45 and older. Drawing on 248,279 smartphone respondents, this report maps the demographic fault lines shaping the US smartphone market, quantifies the upgrade pipeline across consumer segments, and identifies where future competitive battles will be won or lost.

XJ Wang May 18, 2026

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Telecom Strategy

US MNOs: What Are You Going to Do When Musk Comes to You?

The three nationwide US MNOs spent the Q1 2026 earnings cycle rejecting the idea of a Starlink MVNO. Four days later, they announced a satellite Direct-to-Device joint venture that may ultimately accelerate the exact competitive structure they are trying to avoid. This report examines how SpaceX quietly assembled the spectrum, satellite capacity, network identity, regulatory approvals, and consumer-brand infrastructure required to move from satellite provider to full-scale wireless operator. It analyzes the structural pressures facing AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, the strategic role of cable and wholesale relationships, and why the long-term endpoint may not be an MVNO arrangement at all, but a Starlink-operated mobile network competing directly inside the US wireless market.

Roger Entner May 16, 2026

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Telecom Strategy

PROMISES, PROMISES, PROMISES: Five Carriers, One Question

Five major US carriers spent 2025 launching customer-centric programs built around price guarantees, loyalty systems, AI-powered support, and pricing transparency. But underneath the marketing, churn continued rising across the major wireless carriers while cable operators captured an increasing share of wireless growth. This report analyzes how AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Charter, and Comcast structured their customer-retention strategies, where price locks actually protect customers, and why the next phase of telecom competition will be defined by predictability rather than promotional pricing.

Roger Entner May 11, 2026

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Telecom Strategy

Fiber Pays Twice: The Convergence Multiplier in US Telecom

Standard carrier valuation treats wireless and broadband as parallel businesses that happen to share a balance sheet, leaving the most valuable thing converged carriers create off the table. The convergence multiplier is not a bundle discount but a structural shift in market share driven by which carrier owns the anchor product, with fiber ownership predicting wireless outcomes better than any other variable. Investors valuing AT&T and Verizon on sum-of-the-parts arithmetic are pricing the wrong asset.

Roger Entner Apr 30, 2026

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Telecom Strategy

Closing The Gap: T-Mobile's Push For Large And Midsize Business

T-Mobile’s network performance now ranks among the best in the U.S., validated by third-party benchmarks, yet large and midsize businesses continue to favor AT&T and Verizon due to gaps in perception, relationships, and service awareness. Based on survey data from 4,500+ business decision-makers, the analysis quantifies these barriers and highlights T-Mobile’s efforts to address them while underscoring the growing competitive impact of offerings like SuperMobile and AI voice translation.

Daryl Schoolar Apr 27, 2026

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Mobile Devices

US Consumer Device Purchase Journey – Part 3: Pre-Purchase Research and Distribution Channel Dynamics

Friends and family recommendations are the top research source for every brand every month from May through December 2025, running at 9.5–13.5 percent across all brand tiers. Every digital channel trails it. The word-of-mouth engine costs manufacturers nothing to reach, runs entirely within the existing user base, and compounds with every person who joins the ecosystem.

XJ Wang Apr 20, 2026

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Mobile Devices

US Consumer Device Purchase Journey – Part 2: Purchase Drivers and Feature Priorities

Device OEMs and carriers spent 2025 marketing AI to consumers who were buying phones because their screens cracked and their batteries died. Hardware failure was the single largest purchase driver across every brand tier and every month from May through December 2025, ranging from 5.6 to 13.2 percent. AI feature priority, by comparison, peaked at 5.1 percent in a single month for a single brand.

XJ Wang Apr 2, 2026

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Mobile Devices

US Consumer Device Purchase Journey – Part 1: Market Landscape, Brand Performance & Consumer Satisfaction

Apple’s installed base share rose to 55.9 percent by Q4 2025, up 5.9 points in a single year, while Samsung fell 4.9 points to 27.8 percent. Based on 104,408 US respondents tracked across five consecutive quarters from Q4 2024 through Q4 2025, this report examines installed base composition, price positioning, device tenure, brand consideration, loyalty metrics, and customer satisfaction across the US smartphone market.

XJ Wang Mar 1, 2026

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Telecom Strategy

The $3 Billion Billing Gap: Quantifying How Billing Experience Impacts cNPS and Churn

T-Mobile leads wireless bill clarity cNPS at +17.7, a 10-point advantage over Verizon (+7.1) and 12-point advantage over AT&T (+5.5). Billing issues drive churn intent at a 2.5x multiplier—customers reporting billing errors or confusing bills show 32.5% churn intent versus 13.2% for those without billing issues. At an estimated customer lifetime value of $1,000+, billing-related churn represents $2-3 billion in annual revenue risk across the Big Three carriers.

Sanjay Mewada Feb 24, 2026

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Artificial Intelligence

User Illusion: Licenses Don't Equal Adoption

Despite Microsoft's enterprise distribution advantages and Office 365 integration, Microsoft Copilot lost 7.3 percentage points of paid subscriber share in seven months while Google Gemini gained 2.9 points, based on more than 150,000 respondents. Distribution advantages do not lock in market position. Employees receiving enterprise AI tools evaluate options and select based on experience. The platform that delivers the most reliable results wins, regardless of vendor seat licenses.

Joe Salesky Feb 3, 2026

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Mobile Devices

The Anxiety Premium: Structural Disruption and Behavioral Economics in the U.S. Device Insurance Market

The U.S. smartphone insurance sector is entering one of the most significant structural transitions in its modern history. Based on nearly 40,000 consumer surveys conducted between May and October 2025, the central finding is that device insurance is evolving from a high-margin fear-based attach product into a low-cost retention and customer-lifecycle stabilization tool. Competitors leveraging flexible enrollment, lower monthly premiums, and subscription-style positioning are reshaping the economics of the category while exposing the growing strategic rigidity of legacy incumbents.

XJ Wang Dec 29, 2025

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Artificial Intelligence

Genius Myopia: Why Smarter Models Aren't Enough

The AI industry spent 2025 betting that stronger models would automatically drive mass adoption. The data suggests that assumption was structurally flawed. Despite eight breakthrough model releases in seven months, including GPT-5 and Gemini 3, daily AI usage increased by only four percentage points. Based on more than 120,000 consumer responses, this report argues that the next phase of AI growth will be determined less by raw model intelligence and more by trust, contextual utility, and first-party data integration.

Joe Salesky Dec 22, 2025

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Telecom Strategy

Super Owner Economics: Charter & Comcast's Network Jiu-Jitsu

The U.S. wireless market is entering a structural inversion as Charter Communications and Comcast evolve from wholesale-dependent MVNOs into hybrid network operators. With a combined 20.3 million wireless subscribers generating approximately $3.2 billion in annual wholesale payments to Verizon as of Q3 2025, the economic incentive for infrastructure ownership has become strategically unavoidable. This report analyzes how CBRS deployment, traffic offload, and converged broadband economics are reshaping competitive dynamics across the wireless ecosystem.

Roger Entner Dec 10, 2025

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SpaceX & Starlink

Starlink’s Victory Lap, Amazon’s Sprint, and GEOs Crashing: The Divergent Realities of Satellite Broadband

The satellite broadband market is increasingly becoming Starlink’s to lose. Amazon remains in a challenger position as Project Kuiper accelerates deployment, while AST SpaceMobile continues pursuing a differentiated direct-to-cellular strategy without the integrated home broadband advantages held by Starlink and Amazon. Based on proprietary broadband survey data covering more than one million U.S. consumers, this report analyzes how satellite, fixed wireless access, fiber, and cable are colliding across the most contested broadband territories in America.

Roger Entner Dec 1, 2025

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