U.S. Broadband Customer Growth Slows to Pre-Pandemic Levels in Q1, With Every Sector Losing Steam

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

The U.S. home internet business experienced total customer growth of just 2.3% in the first quarter, according to new findings from equity research company MoffettNathanson, with expansion decelerating by more than half from where it stood in Q1 2021, when the pace stood at 4.9%. 

(Image credit: MoffettNathanson)

The title of MoffettNathanson's report, U.S. Broadband: When Everything Slows , kind of says it all -- every sector of the business decelerated between January - March. 

That starts with the U.S. cable business, which saw its customer base erode by 0.5%, or 169,000 customers. 

(Image credit: MoffettNathanson)

The general consensus has been that cable is being undercut by upstart fixed wireless access competition from T-Mobile and Verizon, which are undercutting MSOs on price. 

But the FWA market, which is limited by the finite inventory of excess 5G wireless network capacity, slowed its roll to in Q1. 

(Image credit: MoffettNathanson)

Notably, growth of fiber-to-the-home broadband service declined narrowly to 10.6% in the first quarter. 

(Image credit: MoffettNathanson)

MoffettNathanson ties the market's deceleration to the also slowed expansion of the broader U.S. housing market, which the company said, with new household creation dropping into the red by 311,000 units. 

MoffettNathanson

(Image credit: MoffettNathanson)
Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media , Mediaweek , Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today !