Petroc Taylor
Research expert covering global developments in the use of data
Fixed broadband in the United States - Statistics & Facts
As data intensive technologies become increasingly prevalent in American homes and workplaces, U.S. internet users are growing ever more reliant on stable broadband internet connections. While expanding 5G coverage has made mobile data services a viable alternative, fixed-line broadband connections remain the primary method by which users gain internet access from a fixed location, with fiber connections providing the low latency and high speeds necessary for clear video calls, smooth online gaming, and seamless workplace collaboration. The fixed broadband market has seen several major shifts in recent years, as major network operators such as AT&T, Verizon, and Frontier compete to deliver the fastest fiber services with the broadest coverage.
While internet users close to urban centers have benefited from this competitive fiber landscape, many consumers in remote U.S. locations remain underserved by fixed infrastructure. The major operators have sought to reach such customers with 5G FWA (fixed wireless access) services, which claim to provide fixed quality broadband over mobile networks. However, users are also looking to the growing market for satellite internet services, thus challenging the ability of the major operators to retain rural customers.
Around a quarter of U.S. connections are fiber
There were more than 130 million fixed broadband subscriptions in the United States in 2023, generating over 92 billion U.S. dollars in nationwide fixed data revenue that year. Fiber connections, which achieve superior download speeds and low latency along fiber optic networks, accounted for around a quarter of those connections, while almost half used existing television cable networks. Forecasts expect the market to surpass 100 billion U.S. dollars by the end of the decade - this is despite increasing broadband affordability in recent years, with the price of a connection falling to 0.84 percent of GNI per capita in 2023.Verizon seeks to challenge AT&T’s dominance
Texas-based AT&T has long commanded the largest share of the U.S. broadband market, listing more than 15 million subscribers as of late 2023 - almost twice the number serviced by rival operator Verizon. AT&T has also ranked among the fastest broadband services, with a median download speed of almost 245 Mbps in late 2023 placing it third behind Cox and Spectrum. In addition, the company’s fiber offering, AT&T Fiber, topped a 2024 customer satisfaction ranking of fiber services, beating out Verizon’s Fios service. In a challenge to AT&T’s position as market leader, Verizon announced in 2024 that it intended to purchase Frontier Communications in a 20 billion U.S. dollar deal, acquiring Frontiers fiber infrastructure along with more than two million subscribers.While internet users close to urban centers have benefited from this competitive fiber landscape, many consumers in remote U.S. locations remain underserved by fixed infrastructure. The major operators have sought to reach such customers with 5G FWA (fixed wireless access) services, which claim to provide fixed quality broadband over mobile networks. However, users are also looking to the growing market for satellite internet services, thus challenging the ability of the major operators to retain rural customers.
