To estimate the number of customers the internet service provider needs to reach their goal in 10 years, we can divide the difference between the goal and the current number of customers gained by the net number of customers gained per year.
Difference in customer goal: 35,000 - 17,156 = 17,844 customers
Number of years: 10
Net customers gained per year: 1,802
Estimated number of customers needed: 17,844 / 1,802 = 9.899 (approx.)
Therefore, the internet service provider needs approximately 9,899 more customers to reach their goal.