3Q16 continues broadband subscriber trend: telcos lose, cable gains

Telecommunications companies lost broadband subscribers in the third quarter of 2016 while cable companies gained subscribers, continuing the recent trend. According to a Leichtman Research Group report, the top telco companies lost a combined 149,593 subscribers last quarter, while top cable companies gained a combined 774,965 broadband subscribers.

AT&T added 156,000 U-Verse broadband, but lost 161,000 DSL subscriptions, for a net loss of 5,000 subscribers. Verizon added 90,000 FiOS subscriptions, but lost 66,000 DSL subscriptions, for a net gain of 23,000 subscribers. AT&T and Verizon took the top two spots in FierceTelecom’s third quarter ranking of the country’s top telecom companies. CenturyLink, which lost 40,000 subscribers, Frontier, which lost 99,000 subscribers, and Windstream, which lost 10,000 subscribers, close out the top five.

“A key focus during the quarter was the inconsistent growth of broadband services among telcos, deepening the growth disparity with cable operators that continued to see broadband growth during the quarter,” FierceTelecom’s Sean Buckley wrote. “In addition to wavering broadband trends, a number of telcos signed deals to acquire assets to bolster their fiber networks and service portfolios.”

See the ranking below:
 

Links:

About 625,000 Added Broadband in 3Q 2016 (Leichtman Research Group, Nov. 17, 2016)

The top 12 wireline providers in Q3 2016: AT&T and Verizon see broadband gains, but cable retains the upper hand (FierceTelecom, Nov. 21, 2016)