2023 Tech Trends and the Broadband Networks That Will Fuel Them

smart home

CES, one of the world's largest technology showcases, may have ended earlier this month but the buzz around the newest gadgets and latest next-generation experiences is just beginning. And while these new products are bound to entertain and make everyone's lives a little easier, one thing is certain: high-speed broadband networks will power the tsunami of connected devices that promise to upgrade homes, healthcare, businesses, schools, and daily life. 

  • The cable industry’s 10G initiative—which will deliver 10 gigabits per second speeds to households across America—will play an instrumental role in making these experiences a reality.   

Here are a few of the technology trends that stood out at CES and that will require the robust and secure gigabit speed networks that cable ISPs offer:

Digital Health and Wellness

Connected health has never been more important and this trend will continue to grow, including: 

  • Improving access to healthcare for seniors with connected home technologies and augmented reality applications taking on the task of helping seniors age in place. 
  • Health tracking, with health wearables having evolved from smartwatches to rings, sleep masks, screenless watches, and connected equipment that function as personal trainers. 

Gaming Growth 

Steve Koenig, vice president of research at the Consumer Technology Association, predicts growth in gaming in 2023:

  • Currently the U.S. has 164 million gamers in the 13- 64 age group, which equates to three quarters of the population that plays games. 
  • The average time played per week has gone up to 24 hours per week now (up from 16 hours in 2019), with mobile gaming being a hot trend that gives gamers a social outlet.

Super Smart Homes

Over the past few years, engineers have been working on simpler smart home setups, and with the recent release of Matter—an open-source, universal smart home protocol backed by major manufacturing companies—more compatibility with voice assistants is now possible:

  • That means more smart lights, smart plugs, connected roller blinds, and "hubs" that allow users to easily control all of the many smart connected devices in their home—all of which adhere to this Wi-Fi based standard. 
  • Robot vacuums and smart home cameras, are on the way.

Enterprise Technology Boom

While CES focuses on consumer products, there were plenty of AI-based products on display this year—thanks to advancements in AI hardware—for businesses that enable automation and that aim to improve business processes:

  • From autonomous robots to AI for sustainable farming, more sophisticated smart home devices, advanced mobility applications, and more. 
  • CTA’s Koenig commented that AI, robotics, and the metaverse will help the world to deal with shortages of skilled workers post-COVID and will continue to drive innovation forward.


As Cox Communications President Mark Greatrex explained, "Here in the U.S., there are around five billion connected devices, powering your smart home, your smart car, etc., and they all need really great internet connectivity." For more on what exciting next-generation experiences to expect in 2023, hear Greatrex explain what trends he is most looking forward to watching out for this year: