4 Must-Haves To Run a Competitive Broadband Business as an Electric Cooperative

As an electric cooperative, you’ve already been successfully running a business—your electric business. Now that you’ve recognized the critical need to pivot and offer broadband, you can lean on what you already know. 

But are there tips and tricks to running a competitive broadband business that you’d like to know? You bet there are. Luckily, you can find all this and more in Broadband Academy, where we’ve designed not only Broadband Services Fundamentals to help lay the groundwork for your project, but also a course specific to electric cooperatives. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the education with complimentary access—even if you’re not yet a Calix customer. 

Building a Broadband Network is a Huge Undertaking

It’s no secret that broadband requires a massive investment. Not only are you potentially leveraging millions of dollars in funding from public and possibly private sources, you need to carefully plan each step, secure the right equipment, and partner with experts.

But once you launch the network itself, you’re faced with a new hurdle. How do you make your broadband business stand out against the competition, including major providers? This is where things differ a bit from your non-profit mentality. Operating a for-profit broadband business requires a new mindset and approach—but we’re here to help.

4 Must-Haves To Successfully Operate Your For-Profit Broadband Business

To truly compete, you need to pivot your day-to-day operations in a way that mirrors for-profit business objectives and strategy. We’ve identified four aspects of your operations you absolutely must consider to attract and retain subscribers for the long-haul.

1. Marketing campaigns. Back in the 1930s, it wasn’t an easy feat to get residents to commit to paying for electricity. Broadband is similar today. Residents need to know why you’re the best option for high-speed internet. 

2. Sales strategies. Your sales strategies must consider offers and promotions, add-ons, bundled services, and programs. 

3. A skilled workforce. To maintain day-to-day operations, you may need field technicians, central office technicians, network operators, and more. 

4. Data insights. It’s not enough to just provide the network—you need to understand it, too. With network data insights, you gain full visibility into your operations and the subscriber experience.  

This is just the tip of the iceberg. In Broadband Academy, we outline even more specific details for each of these must-haves in our course, Understanding Broadband Specifics for Electric Cooperatives. You’ll walk away understanding not only what you need, but how to do it and why it matters to your success as a for-profit broadband business. 

At Calix, we take pride in ensuring every broadband customer is supported during their entire journey. That’s why we create educational resources like Broadband Academy and it’s also why I’m here to answer any questions you have specific to electric cooperatives. Email me at nick.jones@calix.com to chat. In the meantime, take our courses and browse our resources to learn more. 

Enroll in Broadband Academy today to learn even more about the four must-haves you need to successfully run a broadband business.