DURHAM, N.H.—The Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) is reporting that the largest cable and wireline phone providers and fixed wireless services in the U.S. – representing about 96% of the market – acquired about 960,000 net additional broadband Internet subscribers in 1Q 2023, compared to a pro forma gain of about 1,085,000 subscribers in 1Q 2022.
But most of the growth came from 5G carriers offering fixed wireless services, with T-Mobile alone adding 523,000 subs. They added about 915,000 subs in Q1, 2023.
“Top broadband providers added nearly one million subscribers in 1Q 2023, with fixed wireless services accounting for 95% of the quarterly net adds,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “Over the past year, fixed wireless services have accounted for 105% of the approximately 3,400,000 net broadband additions.”
These top broadband providers now account for over 112 million subscribers, with top cable companies having about 76.2 million broadband subscribers, top wireline phone companies having about 30.8 million subscribers, and top fixed wireless services having about 5 million subscribers.
Key findings from the LRG report include:
- Overall, broadband additions in 1Q 2023 were 89% of those in 1Q 2022
- The top cable companies added about 65,000 subscribers in 1Q 2023 – compared to about 485,000 net adds in 1Q 2022
- The top wireline phone companies lost about 20,000 total broadband subscribers in 1Q 2023 – compared to about 65,000 net adds in 1Q 2022
- Wireline Telcos had about 500,000 net adds via fiber in 1Q 2023, and about 520,000 non-fiber net losses
- Fixed wireless/5G home Internet services from T-Mobile and Verizon added about 915,000 subscribers in 1Q 2023 – compared to 530,000 net adds in 1Q 2022.
- The largest broadband provider remained Comcast at 32,324,000 (up only 5,000), followed by Charter (up 76,000 subs to 30,509,000), AT&T (15,345,000, down 41,000) and Verizon (7,528,000, up 44,000)
- The largest fixed wireless service providers were T-Mobile (3,169,000, up 523,000), followed by Verizon (1,866,000, up 393,000).
