Leichtman Research Group: U.S. broadband growth returns to pre-pandemic levels in Q3-2021
Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) found that the largest cable and wireline phone providers in the U.S. – representing about 96% of the market – acquired about 630,000 net additional broadband Internet subscribers in 3Q 2021, compared to a pro forma gain of about 1,525,000 subscribers in 3Q 2020, about 615,000 in 3Q 2019, and about 600,000 in 3Q 2018.
These top broadband providers now account for about 107.9 million subscribers, with top cable companies having about 75.2 million broadband subscribers, and top wireline phone companies having about 32.7 million subscribers.
Findings for the 3rd /quarter include:
- Overall, broadband additions in 3Q 2021 were 41% of those in 3Q 2020
- The top cable companies added about 590,000 subscribers in 3Q 2021 – 45% of the net additions for the top cable companies in 3Q 2020
- The top wireline phone companies added about 40,000 total broadband subscribers in 3Q 2021 – compared to about 200,000 net adds in 3Q 2020. Telcos had about 475,000 net adds via fiber in 3Q 2021, and about 435,000 non-fiber net losses
“Broadband additions returned to pre-pandemic levels in the third quarter of 2021,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “The top broadband providers added significantly fewer subscribers than in last year’s third quarter, but had a similar number of net adds as in 3Q 2019 and 3Q 2018.”
| Broadband Providers/ | Subscribers at end of 3Q 2021// | Net Adds in 3Q 2021/ |
| Cable Companies | ||
| Comcast | 31,688,000 | 300,000 |
| Charter | 29,899,000 | 265,000 |
| Cox* | 5,510,000 | 25,000 |
| Altice | 4,388,100 | (13,200) |
| Mediacom | 1,466,000 | (2,000) |
| Cable One | 1,030,000 | 13,000 |
| Atlantic Broadband^ | 717,000 | 3,000 |
| WOW (WideOpenWest)^ | 509,500 | 1,600 |
| Total Top Cable | 75,207,600 | 592,400 |
| Wireline Phone Companies | ||
| AT&T | 15,510,000 | 29,000 |
| Verizon^^ | 7,337,000 | 74,000 |
| CenturyLink/Lumen | 4,589,000 | (77,000) |
| Frontier | 2,789,000 | (9,000) |
| Windstream | 1,147,000 | 15,200 |
| TDS | 522,800 | 9,200 |
| Cincinnati Bell* | 439,000 | 1,200 |
| Consolidated | 390,661 | (2,819) |
| Total Top Telco | 32,724,461 | 39,781 |
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