Optimum Review – 2022

The physical network of Optimum is what is called a “hybrid fiber-coaxial” system (HFC). The cable that connects the internet access point at the Optimum offices to each neighborhood junction is laid with fiber-optics. This medium is very fast and transmits data as a light pulse that is beamed through a glass strand.

Fiber optic cables are very expensive and so Optimum like most US cable TV companies only uses it for the trunk routes that carry bulk traffic. The final stretch from the exchange to each house uses coaxial cable, which is cheaper but has less capacity than fiber-optics. However, as this last hop only needs to carry the traffic of one home, the demands on the cable are not that great.

HFC networks offer very good value for money. They provide faster speeds than traditional all-coaxial networks and much better speeds than DSL services that transmit data over copper wire telephone networks.

Optimum has created a network of Wi-Fi hotspots in public places around its area of operations. Subscribers to Optimum home internet packages are entitled to use these hotspots free of charge.

In December 2018, the Federal Communications Commission published its Report on Consumer Fixed Broadband Performance in the United States. As part of this investigation, the FCC measured the speeds that each major ISP in the USA really provided at peak times in comparison with that company’s advertised speeds. Optimum came out well from the exercise. The FCC discovered that Optimum delivers higher speeds than the average for the industry and came pretty close to the speeds that its publicity promised.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) publishes an annual survey on customer approval ratings for a range of telecommunications service providers. This is called the ACSI Telecommunications Report and its 2019 edition, it ranks the USA’s major ISP by customer satisfaction ratings, expressed as percentages. In 2019, Optimum scored a 63% satisfaction rating, which placed it as the fourth most pleasing ISP in the USA. The 2018 score for the service was 64% in 2018, which made it the third-best service that year, according to the opinions of its customers.

The company runs a discounted access plan for low-income households.

As it merges its two operating companies into one entity, Altice is likely to try to harmonize the tariffs of the two service providers. Such mergers often upset existing customers when they see their deals being reneged on in the interests of uniformity. For this reason, the satisfaction rating of Altice USA could fall in the next few years in terms of the opinions of its existing customers.