According to a recent survey by Comcast, high-bandwidth connections from services such as metro Ethernet outweighed standby office amenities such as gyms and cafeterias when it came to picking an office location.

Comcast recently released the results of its 2011 State of Communications Services in Commercial Real Estate Survey, which polled nearly 500 commercial real estate owners and property managers across the county that are members of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA).

The survey asked the respondents for their opinions on the importance of advanced communications services, including metro Ethernet, broadband Internet, voice, video and related services, all of which Comcast provides, for attracting and keeping tenants.

The results said that respondents would rather have access to advanced communications services instead of on-site gyms, cafeterias and other building perks when choosing office locations. Following price, parking and location, 90 percent of the respondents said that access to advanced communications services was their top priority.

More than one-third of respondents said that the topic of access to advanced communications services was raised in 75 percent of negotiations with prospective tenants. As a result, many property owners and building managers are expanding their network infrastructure options and using these technologies to give them a competitive edge and marketing tool for attracting and retaining tenants.

“As businesses look to accelerate their operations and reduce IT costs with SaaS and cloud-based services, companies are realizing that a scalable, reliable wide area network connection is critical to the success of their business, which is precisely why access to multiple fiber network connections is a top priority in recent office space searches,” said Terry Connell, senior vice president for Comcast Business Services. “From high-rises in cities to suburban office parks, Comcast Business Class is already in 20 of the top 25 markets in the U.S., and we continue to actively build out our all-fiber network.”

Other survey findings included:

• 61 percent of respondents reported that having advanced communications in their buildings gave them a competitive advantage.
• One out of every two respondents say that providing multiple service provider options positively impacts occupancy rates by up to 19 percent.

Earlier this year, Comcast started offering metro Ethernet services in more than 20 markets across the nation.