- Verizon has closed its $20 billion purchase of Frontier, integrating its significant fibre assets into the company’s network.
- The combined fibre footprint now reaches around 30 million premises across 31 states and Washington, D.C.
What happened: Verizon finalised the Frontier acquisition, adding millions of fibre passings and customers to its network
Verizon Communications has completed the acquisition of Frontier Communications with a transaction value of about US $20 billion. The acquisition brought Frontier’s optical network into Verizon’s control, and significantly expanded the fixed broadband infrastructure of the telecom giant.
With the approval of regulators at all levels, including the state and federal government, the transaction has been officially completed, and Verizon has begun to integrate Frontier’s optical assets into its operations. The combined optical network coverage has reached 31 states and about 30 million users in Washington DC, making it one of the FTTP networks with the widest coverage in the United States.
Frontier’s network has millions of existing optical fibre lines and broadband users with years of investment, which is a powerful supplement to Verizon’s existing Fios platform. In addition to expanding geographical coverage, Verizon is now able to provide services combining mobile and optical fibre – combining its 5G wireless products with high-performance fixed broadband.
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Why it’s important
The acquisition marks a major strategic milestone for Verizon as fibre becomes increasingly central to broadband competition and future‑proofed connectivity in the US. With nearly 30 million passings under its umbrella, Verizon now has a network scale capable of supporting the growing demand for high‑speed internet, remote work, streaming, cloud services and next‑generation applications.
Broadband providers have been racing to expand fibre footprints in response to consumer demand and competitive pressure from rivals such as AT&T and Charter Communications, which are also increasing their own fibre deployments. By combining Frontier’s assets with Verizon’s existing infrastructure, the operator can pursue cross‑selling opportunities, bundling mobile and broadband plans, and improving unit economics across its business.
Moreover, fibre networks are considered foundational for advancing 5G fixed wireless access (FWA), edge computing and enterprise services — all of which require dense, reliable connectivity. The enlarged footprint gives Verizon a competitive platform to capitalise on these growth areas as demand for bandwidth continues to rise.
