US adds over 635,000 broadband customers in Q3

The eighteen largest cable and telephone providers in the US, representing about 93 percent of the market, acquired about 635,000 net additional high-speed internet subscribers in the third quarter, according to a study by Leichtman Research Group. These top broadband providers now account for over 77.8 million subscribers - with cable companies having 43.6 million broadband subscribers and telephone companies having 34.2 million subscribers. The top cable companies added over 525,000 subscribers, representing 83 percent of the net broadband additions for the quarter. Overall, broadband additions in Q3 amounted to 77 percent of those in 3Q 2010 - with cable having 98 percent as many additions as a year ago, and telecommunication companies 38 percent as many additions as a year ago. Comcast added 261,000 broadband subscribers in the quarter, 41 percent of the total for the top providers. AT&T and Verizon added 642,000 fibre subscribers in the quarter (via U-verse and FiOS), while having a net loss of 619,000 DSL subscribers. The top cable broadband providers have a 56 percent share of the overall market, with nearly 9.5 million more subscribers than the top telephone companies, compared to 8.2 million a year ago. Following the traditionally weak second quarter, the broadband market rebounded with over 635,000 net additional broadband customers in Q3. Over the first three quarters, the top broadband providers added nearly 2.3 million subscribers, compared to 2.6 million subscribers added in the first three quarters of 2010.