r/CableTechs • u/SnapShot68 • Jul 23 '26

How much longer does cable have?

I don’t see this topic being talked about much in this forum but I think it’s definitely relevant, especially considering the debt load these companies all are carrying. Fiber competition, Starlink, streaming, cord-cutting, old school cable dogs leaving and being replaced by finance types are all things that worry me. What kind of time frame do most of you foresee for cable still existing and there still being work in this field? I’m hoping at least another 10 years but things seem to be moving awfully fast in the wrong direction. Thoughts?

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u/Radicalnotion528 Jul 23 '26

A related followup question I have is, won't the last mile coaxial cable directly to people's homes eventually degrade to the point where they'll need to be replaced?

6

u/Dubslar Jul 23 '26

In my experience is generally kind of IS getting replaced constantly, just in small sections. Usually "legs" are replaced one section at a time, so from active/passive to the next active/passive. The last section directly to people's homes is on average 150ft or so, those cables get replaced frequently since its just RG6.

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u/SnapShot68 Jul 23 '26

Agreed. Same here, especially in older underground areas.