Despite healthy growth in high-speed data subscriptions, the cable industry’s share of the broadband market dropped again in the fourth quarter.
In a new report compiled by Leichtman Research Group Inc., the nation’s top nine DSL providers added nearly 1.5 million subscribers in the fall quarter, accounting for 57 percent of the total broadband haul. The top 11 MSOs netted more than 1.1 million new cable modem subscribers, earning them a collective 43 percent market share.
Similarly, Leichtman said, the leading DSL providers picked up more than 5.2 million broadband subscribers over all of 2005, giving them 53 percent of the high-speed data additions for the year. The leading cable operators corralled about 4.4 million broadband subscribers, giving them the remaining 47 percent.
As a result, cable continues to lead the telcos in the broadband market but its edge keeps narrowing. The top MSOs now have 24.3 million high-speed data customers, or a 57 percent overall share. The leading phone companies now have 18.5 million broadband subscribers, or a 43 percent share.