> The biggest problem I've seen at ISPs is the general unreliability of all the ISP-grade networking equipment.
I wouldn't generalize so much. It only seems that way, and only in countries where ISP markets are monopolized, because nobody cares about doing it well. Where there is enough competition things are completely different: ISPs are willing to test different GPON vendors, OLT/ONU, wifi routers, etc., figure out which features and configurations are reliable, which aren't, fix things that work poorly and so on, because quality becomes the reason people switch ISPs. Competitive industry also means lots of people with experience and expertise and lots of shared knowledge.
It doesn't need to be monopolized, oligopolized works too. And it's not impossible for a monopoly to care and focus on these things, it's just highly unlikely.
I wouldn't generalize so much. It only seems that way, and only in countries where ISP markets are monopolized, because nobody cares about doing it well. Where there is enough competition things are completely different: ISPs are willing to test different GPON vendors, OLT/ONU, wifi routers, etc., figure out which features and configurations are reliable, which aren't, fix things that work poorly and so on, because quality becomes the reason people switch ISPs. Competitive industry also means lots of people with experience and expertise and lots of shared knowledge.