US: 1.1m add broadband in Q1
May 21, 2013
Leichtman Research Group found that the seventeen largest cable and telephone providers in the US — representing about 93 per cent of the market — acquired 1.1 million net additional high-speed Internet subscribers in the first quarter of 2013. These top broadband providers now account for over 82.4 million subscribers — with top cable companies having over 47.5 million broadband subscribers, and top telephone companies having nearly 34.9 million subscribers.
Other broadband findings for the quarter include:
– Overall, broadband additions in 1Q 2013 amounted to 86 per cent of those in 1Q 2012 — with cable having 82 per cent as many additions as a year ago, and Telcos 99 per cent as many additions as a year ago
– The top cable companies added about 800,000 subscribers, representing 72 per cent of the net broadband additions for the quarter versus the top telephone companies
– AT&T and Verizon added 919,000 fibre subscribers (via U-verse and FiOS) in 1Q 2013, while having a net loss of 696,000 DSL subscribers. U-verse and FiOS now account for 40 per cent of the top telephone companies’ broadband subscribers – compared to 32 per cent a year ago
– The top cable broadband providers have a 58 per cent share of the overall market, with about 12.7 million more subscribers than the top telephone companies – compared to 10.8 million more a year ago
“The first quarter of the year has proven to be the best quarter for net broadband adds in each of the past seven years, and from 2010-2012 net adds in the first quarter were greater than in the second and third quarters combined,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “2013 began with another strong first quarter. Net broadband additions in 1Q 2013 were about 500,000 more than in 4Q 2012.”