Business services go mainstream, and cable is in the running

Forget traditional cable service for now: Business services may be where it's at in 2012. That's the conclusion many of the large cable MSOs appear to be drawing, as evidenced by the increased focus of operators like Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), Cox Communications and Suddenlink, among others, on the size and capabilities of their business services divisions.

Cox Communications, which targets mostly small to medium businesses as well as a few large organizations within its footprint, saw around 14 percent growth in business services in 2011 and, after crossing the $1 billion sales threshold last year, is looking to top $2 billion within four years. Comcast and TWC are leveraging acquisitions as well as their existing networks to serve more business customers and to attract large enterprises.

So, will MSOs be able to compete with ILECs and CLECs in the business services arena? Find out what advantages, and disadvantages, they have in our latest feature. I encourage you to give us your opinion of how cable operators will perform in the business services segment, in the comments section at the end of the article. --Sam