Internet service providers growing in fiber, fixed wireless customers

Major internet service providers (ISPs) released their Q3 reports and providers like T-Mobile and Verizon can boast about fixed wireless and fiber customer growth.

Fiber internet provides the fastest speeds on the market, but 5G home internet is rapidly expanding and has become an affordable alternative to other internet services.

ISP customer additions and losses

T-Mobile 

T-Mobile gained 557,000 new customers in Q3 to end the quarter with 4.2 million internet customers. This is 21,000 less than Q2 2023, but T-Mobile still claims they have the most net adds in the industry. 

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: in this competitive environment, only T-Mobile can deliver the type of stellar results we saw in Q3 because only we can consistently deliver the best network and best value combination that customers want,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. 

T-Mobile provides 5G Home Internet for $50/mo. with speeds up to 245 Mbps. It provides 5G coverage to over 98% of Americans.

Verizon

Verizon reported 434,0000 net broadband additions for Q3, 384,000 of which were fixed wireless customers subscribing to Verizon’s 5G home internet service. Verizon also reported 72,000 Fios net additions for its fiber internet service. 

Verizon has fiber plans with speeds from 300 – 940 Mbps starting at $49.99/mo. and 5G Home Internet plans starting at $25/mo. with a Verizon Mobile plan. Verizon’s 5G service has speeds up to 1,000 Mbps. 

AT&T

AT&T reported 296,000 new fiber customers in Q3 and now surpasses 8 million fiber internet customers. AT&T also discussed its new 5G internet service in the report, AT&T Internet Air. AT&T expects the new fixed wireless service to be active in over 30 locations by the end of the year.

AT&T is a fiber and DSL internet service, with fiber plans starting at $55/mo. for 300 Mbps. AT&T Internet Air is also selling for $55/mo. but has no price increases, overage fees or contracts. 

Frontier 

Frontier added 79,000 fiber broadband customers in Q3 and passed 332,000 new fiber locations. Frontier reported positive consumer revenue growth for the first time since becoming a public company in 2021. 

“We delivered another strong quarter of operational results, with our first consumer revenue increase as a new public company, and an acceleration in our EBITDA growth,” said Nick Jeffery, President and Chief Executive Officer of Frontier. “This quarter’s strong results continue to show how every day, with every new fiber customer, we become a more valuable business.”

Frontier has fiber internet plans starting at $39.99/mo. for 500 Mbps and offers multi-gig plans up to 5,000 Mbps. 

Spectrum

Charter’s Spectrum reported 63,000 new internet customers in the third quarter. Spectrum’s main goal for the future is to continue building out its rural broadband initiative. Spectrum activated 78,000 rural broadband passings in Q3. 

Spectrum has cable internet plans from 300 – 1,000 Mbps starting at $49.99/mo.  

Xfinity

Comcast’s Xfinity lost 18,000 broadband subscribers in Q3, attributing the loss to a “highly competitive broadband marketplace.” Despite the loss in subscribers, broadband revenue increased by 3.8% compared to Q2 2022. 

Xfinity expects even higher subscriber loss in Q4: “As we continue to manage this balance, we expect ARPU growth to remain strong and our primary driver of broadband revenue growth with somewhat higher subscriber losses expected in the fourth quarter compared to the 18,000 loss we just reported in the third quarter.”

Xfinity is one of the largest cable internet providers in the country with plans from 50 – 6,000 Mbps with prices starting at $25/mo. in certain regions. 

Optimum

Altice’s (Optimum) broadband net losses were -31,000 in Q3, but it reported having its best quarter for fiber additions. It reports 45,000 new fiber customers in Q3, bringing the total number of fiber broadband customers to 295,000 by the end of the third quarter. 

Optimum continues to expand its fiber service, adding 61,000 new fiber passings in Q3. Its 8 Gig fiber plan was also launched to its entire Eastern service footprint. 

Optimum is a cable and fiber internet provider with cable speeds from 300 – 1,0000 Mbps and fiber speeds from 300 – 8,000 Mbps. 

CenturyLink

Lumen (CenturyLink) reported net losses of 73,000 customers since Q2 2023, but saw its fiber customer base increase by 19,000, bringing the total number of fiber customers to 896,000. 

CenturyLink also enabled 141,000 fiber passings for its Quantum Fiber service during Q3. 

CenturyLink is a DSL and fiber internet provider with plans starting at $55/mo. Its Quantum Fiber internet service offers fiber internet speeds up to 940 Mbps. 

Q3 reports

Learn more about top providers’ third-quarter results in their Q3 2023 reports:

• T-Mobile
• Verizon
• AT&T
• Frontier
• Spectrum
• Xfinity
• Optimum
• CenturyLink

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