U.S. Wireless Market Outlook for 2026
TBR Senior Analyst Steve Vachon shares key insights into the evolving U.S. wireless market and what market shifts mean for U.S. operators in 2026 and beyond.
Steve Vachon is a senior analyst in TBR’s Telecom Practice and serves as the research lead for the company’s telecom operator portfolio. Steve provides syndicated coverage of companies including AT&T, Comcast, T-Mobile and Verizon. He also authors TBR’s U.S. Mobile Operator Benchmark, U.S. Telecom Enterprise Operator Benchmark and U.S. Telecom Operator Public Sector Benchmark, and co-authors TBR’s 5G & 6G Telecom Market Landscape and Telecom Edge Compute Market Landscape. Additionally, Steve collaborates with colleagues on TBR’s custom research projects. He has been quoted by major news sites such as eWEEK, Computerworld, FierceTelecom, Wireless Week and SDxCentral.
TBR Senior Analyst Steve Vachon shares key insights into the evolving U.S. wireless market and what market shifts mean for U.S. operators in 2026 and beyond.
Given this growth slowdown, U.S. wireless operators face a conundrum. How will they continue showing robust net phone additions every quarter? There is no easy solution, but in this report TBR outlines some tactics operators are employing, or might employ in the future, to mitigate the negative immigration-related effects on their earnings results.
2025 Comcast Business Analyst Conference, Philadelphia, April 2-3, 2025 — A select group of industry analysts gathered at the Comcast Center in Philadelphia to hear from Comcast Business leaders about the unit’s progress and success with its sales and go-to-market strategies. The central theme of the event was “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” which reflects […]
Learn the impact convergence is having on the market via initiatives around M&A and fiber expansion as well as increased competition among cable MVNOs, how FWA services are disrupting the U.S. broadband market, how U.S. operators are expanding the scope of their FWA strategies to maximize opportunity capture, and insights into wireless capex trends in the U.S. and the next phase of 5G investments
The composition of Ericsson’s new network API joint venture, which currently does not have a formal name and is expected to close in early 2025 pending regulatory approval, entails Ericsson holding 50% equity in the venture, with the following telecom operators holding the remaining 50% of equity: America Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Singtel, Telefonica, Telstra, T-Mobile, Verizon and Vodafone.
TBR estimates public sector revenue from U.S.-based service providers grew 6.1% year-to-year in 4Q23 to $5.4 billion. Total public sector revenue growth was driven by wireless revenue, which increased 9% year-to-year to an estimated $2.8 billion. First responder initiatives such as AT&T FirstNet and Verizon Frontline are the main drivers of public sector wireless revenue growth as these units are attracting public safety agencies seeking enhanced reliability to support mission-critical workloads and use cases.
From a global enterprise and U.S. public sector perspective, Comcast Business has been driving growth from these higher-end segments thanks to acquisitions and organic growth, but the company is encountering stiff competition from entrenched incumbents, notably AT&T and Verizon.
TBR Insights Live On Demand: Learn about the key drivers of revenue growth in the U.S. telecom public sector market, including network modernization and first responder initiatives.
Discover the impending transition to 6G networks and the preparations being made by the telecom industry and global government entities. Stay ahead of the curve with this insightful blog post.
TBR believes operators will be more calculated and tactical in investing in 6G compared to 5G, with a deeper emphasis on ensuring a clear line of sight to ROI before significant spending occurs
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