At Internet Subway, we’re always watching the numbers. Every apartment community we serve becomes another vantage point to study how residents use, and more importantly, how they buy, internet service. The data we’ve gathered recently tells a story that’s too big to ignore: residents aren’t just accepting higher speeds; they’re seeking them out.
In fact, more than 15% of residents across our portfolio are upgrading to faster service tiers — a clear sign that the multigigabit era isn’t just coming… it’s here.
What the Numbers Say
When residents choose to upgrade, they have three options: 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps, or 8Gbps. Here’s how those upgrades break down:
- 45% of upgrades are to 2.5Gbps, driving 25% of upgrade revenue.
- 30% of upgrades are to 5Gbps, accounting for 32% of upgrade revenue.
- 25% of upgrades are to 8Gbps, but here’s the kicker — that group delivers 43% of total upgrade revenue.
That last point is the most telling. Our smallest group of upgrade customers is driving nearly half of our upgrade revenue. That’s not a fluke. It’s a signal.
Residents Are Voting With Their Wallets
When we first began offering multigigabit speeds, there was an open question:
Would people really pay for speeds they might not fully use every day?
The answer, in our experience, is an emphatic yes.
Some residents upgrade because they have legitimate, bandwidth-heavy needs — multiple simultaneous 4K streams, VR gaming, large file transfers for creative work, gaming, etc… Others do it simply because they want the best service available, even if their day-to-day usage doesn’t push the limits.
In both cases, the pattern is the same: when the option is there, residents take it. The “good enough” threshold is shifting upward. The once-premium speed of 1Gbps is now the baseline for many, and residents are increasingly willing to pay more for a tier that feels like tomorrow’s standard, not yesterday’s.
Multifamily Owners and Developers
These numbers aren’t just about internet speeds. They’re about revenue opportunity and future-proofing your asset.
By designing your building’s connectivity infrastructure to support multigigabit service, both at launch, retrofit, and for future upgrades, you create a recurring revenue stream that is sustainable over time. In the Internet Subway Next Generation Managed Wi-Fi model, speed upgrades are incremental, high-margin sales that stack on top of the base service provided to every unit.
Higher tiers don’t just serve power users. They serve the economics of your property.
The Psychology of the Upgrade
Part of this comes down to simple consumer behavior. When residents see a clearly superior tier available, especially one that’s marketed as “the fastest in the building”, it triggers a desire to be at the top. The same dynamic plays out in everything from mobile phone plans to car trim packages.
What’s notable in our case is that even the most expensive tier, 8Gbps, is attracting a meaningful share of residents. This is a testament to two factors:
- The infrastructure, equipment, and devices are ready. We’ve designed our Next Generation Managed Wi-Fi networks to deliver these speeds reliably to every unit.
- The demand is real. Whether for practical reasons or prestige, residents are willing to pay for speed far above the old norms. Multigigabit marketing is huge – from billboards to commercials, social media ads, and more. It’s a nationwide push for 2Gbps and above.
Lots of conversation has been about when multigigabit demand will “arrive.” Our data suggests it already has. And it will only accelerate. As more devices adopt Wi-Fi 7, as streaming services push higher-resolution formats, and as cloud gaming and VR adoption grow, these higher tiers will feel less like luxury and more like necessity.
Next Generation Managed Wi-Fi
At Internet Subway, we deliver multigigabit speeds today, and scalable capacity for tomorrow. Our upgrade program makes it easy for residents to select a higher tier and activate it instantly, without technician visits or downtime. More than 15% of residents upgrading — and in some communities, that number is climbing toward 20%. This isn’t just an upsell; it’s a long-term revenue engine for your property and a powerful differentiator in a competitive leasing market.
