- Joint venture with KKR brings over 2.6 million homes into T-Fiber
- Cable congestion alleviated by fibre, accelerating fixed broadband growth
What happened: T-Mobile completes fibre JV to expand converged 5G and broadband services
T-Mobile US has finalised its joint venture with KKR to acquire a 50% stake in Metronet. The deal gives T-Mobile access to Metronet’s fibre infrastructure, reaching over 2.6 million homes and businesses across 17 states. Metronet will remain a wholesale fibre provider while T-Mobile takes over residential customer acquisition, support and rebrands services under “T-Fiber.” The venture is a key milestone in T-Mobile’s shift from fixed wireless access (FWA) towards a converged mobile and fibre offering. With FWA nearing its subscriber ceiling—7.3 million users of a possible 12 million—the fibre expansion is a strategic move to relieve network congestion and unlock broader growth from T-Mobile’s 31.5 million postpaid base. Analysts suggest the joint venture will allow continued subscriber expansion while preserving FTWA performance.
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Why it’s important
The fibre JV is a vital next step for T-Mobile. It helps deliver broadband to markets where FWA alone cannot satisfy demand, due to cellular congestion. The arrangement gives the operator flexibility to test fibre-led convergence under a capital-light structure. Metronet’s track record in gaining fast market share among overbuilders suggests a clear path to expand T-Fiber to 12–15 million homes by 2030. The move positions T-Mobile to compete more directly with fibre incumbents while maintaining agility. Moreover, shifting FWA users onto fibre frees up 5G capacity to improve both fixed and mobile experiences.
