Explore financial, network, and staffing benchmarks from 135 rural telecommunications companies to evaluate broadband growth, cost trends, and profitability.
Rural Broadband Growth Continues, but Margin Pressure Is Reshaping the Industry
Broadband continues to create growth opportunities for rural telecommunications providers, but growth alone isn’t enough. Rising costs, modest overall revenue gains, and increasing margin pressure are influencing performance across the industry.
The 2026 Rural Broadband Benchmark Study draws on data from 135 rural telecommunications companies and 25 years of financial and operational information to help leaders compare results, evaluate trends, and identify priorities for the road ahead.
Explore nearly 35 financial and operational benchmarks, review peer-group comparisons, and see how your organization measures up.
What Rural Broadband Leaders Need to Know
The State of AI Integration
32.3%
Broadband internet revenue represented 32.3% of operating revenue in 2025, continuing its long-term rise as voice revenue declined to 5.0%.
3.2%
Operating expenses grew 3.2% in 2025, while total operating revenue increased 1.2%, reinforcing the margin pressure facing rural providers.
81%
Average total equity represented approximately 81% of total assets, reflecting continued balance sheet strength among participating companies.
Growth Is Shifting Toward Broadband
Broadband is playing a larger role in the rural telecommunications industry and continues to support revenue diversification. In 2025, broadband internet revenue increased 6.6%, making it the second-largest source of operating revenue among participating companies, behind network access service revenue.
At the same time, total revenue growth remained limited. The contrast reinforces an important reality: broadband expansion can support long-term growth, but it may not fully offset pressure on other revenue sources.
Why Rural Broadband Margins Are Under Pressure
Revenue growth tells only part of the story. Operating expense growth continued to exceed revenue growth in 2025, contributing to a decline in average operating income to 12.0% of revenue, down from 16.7% in 2021.
For rural broadband providers, that means growth and cost discipline must advance together. Leaders need to understand not only where broadband revenue is increasing, but also whether that growth is improving profitability, strengthening the balance sheet, and supporting long-term performance.
What You’ll Learn in the Study
- How broadband revenue is changing across rural telecommunications companies
- Where margin pressure is increasing across the industry
- How operating income and cost trends have shifted over time
- How your organization compares across financial, network, and staffing benchmarks
- Which peer-group insights can help shape strategy and performance improvement
Explore insights from the 2026 Rural Broadband Benchmark Study, including financial and operational performance of the industry and growing broadband services.
Download the 2026 Rural Broadband Benchmark Study
Compare your organization performance across key financial, network, and staffing metrics. Use the study to identify performance gaps, evaluate cost and margin trends, and prioritize the next steps for your rural broadband strategy.