Cable operators taking greater share of large businesses, says analyst firm

U.S. cable operators may not have the established brand recognition of large telcos in the business space, but that's starting to change as providers like Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) have made gains in providing voice and data to businesses with over 100 employees during the past two years. According to TNS, business spending on voice and data services from cable operators rose 38 percent, climbing from 12.2 percent to 16.9 percent.

The research firm said the main driver behind this growth was a heavier reliance on Internet service and the need for greater bandwidth, two areas where larger cable providers excel.

During a two-year period, cable providers have upped their percentage of customers using a single provider for wired voice and data products from 38.6 percent to 54.1 percent -- representing an increase of over 40 percent. Over the same period, ILECs saw a slight decline while CLECs saw sales rise 9 percent. Further, cable operators have increased the penetration of business locations they serve by more than 50 percent while ILEC penetration dipped nearly 14 percent. The CLEC share remained relatively unchanged. Release