Frontier added 107,000 fiber subscribers in Q1 2025 — outpacing expectations and boosting its appeal ahead of Verizon’s $20 billion acquisition
Frontier Communications kicked off 2025 with a strong quarter, fueled by the company’s continued investment in fiber infrastructure. In Q1, Frontier added 107,000 fiber broadband customers — a 19.3% year-over-year increase that exceeded analyst expectations and brought its total fiber customer base to approximately 2.5 million.
The company also expanded its fiber footprint by adding 321,000 new fiber passings, bringing its total to 8.1 million locations. This growth is part of Frontier’s broader objective to reach 10 million fiber passings by the third quarter of 2026.
Revenue for the quarter rose 3.4% year-over-year to $1.51 billion, driven primarily by strong demand for fiber-based services. Adjusted EBITDA increased 6.6% to $583 million, although the company reported a net loss of $64 million for the period.
Average revenue per user (ARPU) in the consumer fiber broadband segment grew 4.7% year-over-year to $68.21, as more customers opted for higher-speed plans and premium offerings. More than half of new subscribers chose value-added services such as whole-home Wi-Fi and YouTube TV.
“We had the strongest start to a year yet, led by continued strength in our fiber business,” said Nick Jeffery, president and CEO of Frontier. “Consumers, business owners and technology companies are increasingly relying on fiber to power networks and connect to the digital economy — and that trend is shining through in our results.”
Frontier’s strong Q1 comes amid the ongoing regulatory review of its pending acquisition by Verizon. Announced in September 2024, the $20 billion deal includes Frontier’s fiber assets and customer base and is expected to close by Q1 2026.
Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg reiterated the strategic fit of the acquisition during the Goldman Sachs Communicopia and Technology Conference. “It’s straight into our strategy,” he said. “We build the network once. We want to address as many profitable connections on top of one build of the network. So of course, adding this is just adding more customers.”
The timing of Frontier’s customer growth is especially significant, as Verizon reported historically high customer losses in its most recent quarter. The acquisition, combined with Frontier’s expanding base, could help Verizon shore up its position as competition intensifies across the telecom sector.
