According to Leichtman Research, US telecommunications providers were unable to sustain the dramatic customer surge seen in 2020.
In 2020, the largest cable and wireline phone providers in the United States—representing approximately 96 percent of the market—added a remarkable 4,860,000 subscribers.
That surge was largely driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and widespread shifts to remote work, online learning, and virtual socializing increased demand for broadband and other telecom services.
Growth slowed in 2021 compared with 2020. The major US providers added about 2,950,000 subscribers that year.
Although smaller than the 2020 spike, the 2021 additions represent a reversion to more typical growth and still exceeded annual net additions from 2016 through 2019. For example, in 2019 the industry added roughly 2,550,000 subscribers.
“Broadband additions proved to be resilient in 2021 following 2020’s pandemic-related surge in subscribers,” said Bruce Leichtman, President and Principal Analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc.
“The top broadband providers added significantly fewer subscribers in 2021 than in 2020, but the net adds in 2021 were higher than in each year from 2016–2019.”
Comcast remained the largest broadband provider with about 31,901,000 subscribers, adding roughly 1,327,000 customers in 2021.
Charter followed closely with an estimated 30,089,000 subscribers after adding around 1,210,000 in 2021.
Cox rounded out the top three with an estimated 5,530,000 subscribers, having added about 150,000 in 2021.
Overall, broadband additions in 2021 were about 61 percent of the total seen in 2020 and roughly 115 percent of the total for 2019, demonstrating that while the pandemic-driven peak eased, demand remained stronger than pre-pandemic years.
(Photo by Ussama Azam on Unsplash)
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