The 18 biggest cable operators and telco providers in the nation added a total of 3 million data subscribers last year.
According to the Leichtman Research Group’s latest study, the top broadband providers now account for 78.6 million subscribers, with cable companies having more than 44.3 million broadband subscribers and telephone companies having more than 34.3 million subscribers.
Other key findings included:
- The top cable companies netted 75 percent of the broadband additions last year.
- The top cable companies added 2.3 million broadband subscribers in 2011 – 98 percent of the total net additions for the top cable companies in 2010.
- The top telephone providers added 750,000 broadband subs in 2011, which was 68 percent of the total net additions for the top telephone companies in 2010.
- In the fourth quarter of 2011, cable and telephone providers added 765,000 broadband subscribers, with cable companies accounting for 82 percent of the broadband additions in the quarter.
“Despite a high level of broadband penetration in the U.S., the top broadband providers added 88 percent as many subscribers in 2011 as in 2010,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group. “At the end of 2011, the top broadband providers in the U.S. cumulatively had more than 78.6 million subscribers, an increase of nearly 25 million over the past five years.”
Broadband Internet provider |
Subscribers at end of Q4 2011 |
Net adds in 2011 |
Cable operators |
||
Comcast |
18,147,000 |
1,159,000 |
Time Warner^ |
10,344,000 |
491,000 |
Cox* |
4,500,000 |
130,000 |
Charter |
3,654,600 |
252,900 |
Cablevision |
2,965,000 |
73,000 |
Suddenlink |
951,400 |
65,100 |
Mediacom |
851,000 |
13,000 |
Insight^ |
550,000 |
25,500 |
Cable One |
451,082 |
25,680 |
Other major private cable companies** |
1,925,000 |
55,000 |
Total top cable |
44,339,082 |
2,290,180 |
Telcos |
||
AT&T |
16,427,000 |
117,000 |
Verizon |
8,670,000 |
278,000 |
CenturyLink |
5,554,000 |
238,000 |
Frontier^^ |
1,735,000 |
37,833 |
Windstream |
1,355,300 |
53,600 |
FairPoint |
314,135 |
24,390 |
Cincinnati Bell |
257,300 |
1,200 |
Total top telcos |
34,312,735 |
750,023 |
Total broadband |
78,651,817 |
3,040,203 |
Sources: The companies and Leichtman Research Group.
- * LRG estimate
- ** Includes LRG estimates for Bright House Networks, and RCN
- ^ Totals prior to TWC’s acquisition of Insight.