Dive Brief:

• To get “more robust, reliable connectivity,” 94% of surveyed business leaders in the U.S. and U.K. say they would pay more in rent, Boldyn said in a Jan. 14 release. 
• Almost 80% of U.S. business leaders surveyed say they are looking to move to a new building in the next five years. Of those respondents, 62% say they’re most looking for good internet/Wi-Fi connectivity and 54% said excellent mobile/5G reception, according to Boldyn, a network connectivity solutions firm, which surveyed 2,000 business leaders in the U.S. and U.K. 
• Wi-Fi and mobile/5G connectivity were mentioned more than the amount of space, security, price, parking, and amenities as factors business leaders are seeking for their new premises, Boldyn says. 

Dive Insight:

Location has become more important than ever when it comes to office space leasing, with occupiers making location and space decisions with “more confidence than they’ve had in years” due to the normalization of hybrid work, Jessica Morin, director of office research in the U.S. for CBRE, said during a webinar on the company’s 2025 real estate market outlook on Jan. 15. 

This desire for connectivity stems from a desire to make workplaces more attractive to employees to boost both retention and satisfaction, Boldyn says. When asked what technology staff expect in the workplace, 67% of respondents state their workforce expects “seamless Wi-Fi throughout the office/building” and 64% say they want cellular connectivity throughout the office or building, per the report. 

This is greater than the 54% of respondents who named “modern amenities,” 44% who said “public safety systems” and 42% who said “modern smart [building] technologies,” Boldyn found. The firm said this is largely due to employer concerns about lost productivity: More than four in five business leaders said they feel their company loses or wastes time each day due to poor connectivity at their premises. 

Wi-Fi is so important to businesses that 52% of respondents said they would pay up to 50% more in rent to get better connectivity, with 43% saying they would pay between 50% and 100% more in rent, per the report. 

While other amenities, like in-building gyms and bars, are still “good things for any building to offer,” these are no longer “the surefire draws they used to be,” Boldyn says.

“If building owners want to attract new tenants and keep the ones they have, they should instead focus on investing in network infrastructure and solutions that can deliver connectivity,” whether Wi-Fi or mobile, Boldyn says.