--- title: How Great ISPs Nail Their Net Promoter Score Surveys description: CEO and co-founder of Lightyear Dennis Thankachan discusses Lightyear's Enterprise ISP Experience Guide on the TeleGeography Explains the Internet podcast. image: https://resources.telegeography.com/hubfs/Content%20Archive/2022/Blog%20Assets/pexels-tatiana-fet-1105766.jpg --- [![TG\_LOGO](https://resources.telegeography.com/hubfs/TeleGeography%20Hub%20Theme%20Nov%202025/images/TG_LOGO.svg)](https://www2.telegeography.com/) - [About](https://www2.telegeography.com/about-us) - [Research](https://www2.telegeography.com/our-research) - [Products](https://www2.telegeography.com/products) - [Solutions](https://www2.telegeography.com/solutions) - [Resources](https://resources.telegeography.com) [Log In](https://www.telegeography.com/login/login?service=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegeography.com%2Faccount%2Fhome%2Findex) [Contact](https://www2.telegeography.com/contact-us) ###### Data and Analysis Tools - [Cloud and WAN Research Service](https://www2.telegeography.com/cloud-and-wan-infrastructure) - [Data Center Research Service](https://www2.telegeography.com/data-center-research-service) - [GlobalComms Database](https://www2.telegeography.com/globalcomms-database-service) - [International Voice Report](https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-report-and-database) - [IP Networks Research Service](https://www2.telegeography.com/ip-networks-research-service) - [ISP Navigator](https://www2.telegeography.com/isp-navigatorisp-navigator) - [Transport Networks Research Service](https://www2.telegeography.com/transport-networks) - [Network Pricing Database](https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-pricing-database) - [WAN Cost Benchmark](https://www2.telegeography.com/wan-cost-benchmark) - [Product Passes](https://www2.telegeography.com/product-passes) ###### Consulting - [All Consulting Services](https://www2.telegeography.com/consulting) - [Submarine Cable Consulting](https://www2.telegeography.com/submarine-cable-consulting) ###### Maps - [All Map Services](https://www2.telegeography.com/map-services) - [Sponsor a Map](https://www2.telegeography.com/sponsor-a-map) - [License Map Data](https://www2.telegeography.com/license-geocoded-map-data) - [Cite a Map](https://www2.telegeography.com/cite-telegeography-map) - [Buy a Map](https://shop.telegeography.com/collections/telecom-maps/) ###### Industry - [Education](https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-for-education) - [Enterprise](https://www2.telegeography.com/enterprise) - [Tech](https://www2.telegeography.com/tech) - [Telecom](https://www2.telegeography.com/telecom) ###### Case Studies - [AI + Retail Telecom Data](https://www2.telegeography.com/where-to-get-global-telecom-data) - [EXA Infrastructure](https://www2.telegeography.com/exa-infrastructure-case-study) - [Orange Wholesale](https://www2.telegeography.com/orange-wholesale-case-study) - [The European Commission](https://www2.telegeography.com/the-european-commissions-data-backed-approach-to-international-policy) [Back to Resources](https://resources.telegeography.com) # How Great ISPs Nail Their Net Promoter Score Surveys ##### By [Greg Bryan,](https://resources.telegeography.com/author/greg-bryan) Dec 11, 2025 [Networks](https://resources.telegeography.com/tag/networks) [Pricing](https://resources.telegeography.com/tag/pricing) [WAN](https://resources.telegeography.com/tag/wan) [Podcast](https://resources.telegeography.com/tag/podcast) While we hear a lot about automated provisioning and NaaS, how long does it really take to get a quote for DIA service? Or more to the point: how long does it take to actually get a circuit installed? And what do enterprises really think of their ISPs? In this episode of the [TeleGeography Explains the Internet](https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-explains-the-internet-podcast)podcast, Dennis Thankachan, CEO and co-founder of Lightyear, addresses these questions and shares findings from [Lightyear's Enterprise ISP Experience Guide](https://lightyear.ai/ebooks/lightyears-2025-enterprise-isp-experience). Here's a look at what's going on in the ISP market. #### Key Takeaways ## **Customer satisfaction hinges on communication** According to Lightyear's Enterprise ISP Experience Guide, median time to install dedicated internet circuits is approximately 85 days. Off-net installations requiring construction can take significantly longer, with the 90th percentile reaching 227 days. However, data from [NPS surveys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_promoter_score) shows that the single biggest impact on carrier satisfaction is the quality of communication. If carriers are uncommunicative or make next steps unclear, customers grant poor NPS scores, even for fast installs. Conversely, if a carrier communicates well and handles delays proactively, they can receive high NPS ratings even on lengthy installs. ## What enterprises actually think about their ISPs Overall, the average NPS on carriers in Lightyear's new report was 4.16 out of 5, which is considered high. Dennis hypothesizes that Lightyear's involvement could help manage the customer experience and communication. However, scenarios in which ISPs miss or botch an install almost always results in a one-star NPS rating. Again, if an installation experiences delays but the carrier communicates well, is proactive, and handles the delays effectively, they can still achieve high NPS ratings, including five-star scores. ## The substantial price difference between DIA and broadband The median price point observed for a 100 meg DIA circuit is about $500/month ($5 per meg). This service is typically dedicated, symmetric internet delivered over fiber. In contrast, the median price for 100 meg broadband is about $140/month ($1.40 per meg). This difference represents approximately a 70% price drop and reflects that broadband is a non-standard product, often best-effort or "up to" a bandwidth, which may experience service attenuation during peak times ## ISPs need telecom lifecycle management Lightyear defines telecom lifecycle management as encompassing everything that happens with a circuit from the service being activated to its eventual deprecation via a disconnect. This comprehensive definition covers the continuous process of managing telecom services, including: - **Dealing with service issues**: This includes managing outages, issues, and repairs as they occur. Dennis shares that Lightyear indexes over 30 unique data points for all services, including support numbers and circuit configurations, to make dealing with these events easier. - **Service Changes and Deprecation**: It involves managing service changes such as moving a service, upgrading, downgrading, or disconnecting the service. Dennis shared the example of automating painful processes like disconnecting a circuit with a click, while warning users about potential contract terms or early termination fees (ETFs). - **Inventory Management**: This includes providing inventory for all services, indexing circuit IDs and device configurations, as a common issue is customers not knowing what network assets they possess. - **Financial Management**: This includes billing management, dealing with billing issues, invoice auditing, and handling bill payments and billing disputes. It also covers tracking all Service Level Agreements (SLAs) per service and working to secure expected SLA credits when they process the billing. - **Contract Management**: Covers renewals and renegotiations of the circuit over time, with a management platform handling renewal processing and ensuring customers never miss a renewal deadline through its inventory system. ## Explore Related Content ![What is Dispatch Agentic AI?](https://resources.telegeography.com/hubfs/What%20is%20Dispatch%20Agentic%20AI%20thumbnail.jpg) ###### Podcast Episode Sep 15, 2026 #### [What is Dispatch Agentic AI?](https://resources.telegeography.com/what-is-dispatch-agentic-ai) [Read Full Article](https://resources.telegeography.com/what-is-dispatch-agentic-ai) ![New on the Pod: Lightyear Considers the State of Connectivity](https://resources.telegeography.com/hubfs/2019/Blog%20Assets/chainlink-690503_1280.jpg) ###### Podcast Episode Mar 20, 2025 #### [New on the Pod: Lightyear Considers the State of Connectivity](https://resources.telegeography.com/state-of-connectivity-podcast-lightyear) [Read Full Article](https://resources.telegeography.com/state-of-connectivity-podcast-lightyear) ![Schrodinger](https://resources.telegeography.com/hubfs/2020/Blog%20Assets/blueprints-1837238_1280.jpg) ###### Blog Mar 30, 2020 #### [Schrodinger's MPLS and Why Predicting the Future is Hard](https://resources.telegeography.com/schrodingers-mpls-and-why-predicting-the-future-is-hard) Predicting the future is hard, especially when it comes to complex markets with disruptive variables... 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