Speaking at Citi’s 2025 TDC Conference, Verizon CFO Tony Skiadas laid out the company’s growth priorities across mobile, broadband, and fiber. He highlighted progress on the nationwide C-band rollout, strong momentum in fixed wireless access (FWA), and integration planning for the Frontier transaction.
Verizon expects 80–90% of its sites to be C-band–enabled this year, a milestone Skiadas said is already driving improved churn performance in upgraded markets. On broadband, Verizon now counts 5.1 million FWA subscribers, having added 600,000 in the first half of the year, and remains on track for 8–9 million by 2028. The company is also piloting a new multi-dwelling unit (MDU) solution that uses millimeter wave into in-building coax, which Skiadas described as promising despite early growing pains.
The pending Frontier acquisition remains on schedule, with approvals secured in most states and closing targeted for Q1 2026. Verizon has set a synergy goal of at least $500 million in operating savings within three years. Skiadas also introduced “AI Connect,” an initiative to repurpose Verizon’s wireline footprint—dark and lit fiber, central offices, and power/cooling capacity—to support AI workloads at scale. He added that 18% of Verizon’s base already takes a converged bundle of wireless and broadband, and that penetration could double in the coming years.
• C-band: 80–90% of sites enabled in 2025; upgraded markets showing lower churn
• FWA: 5.1M subscribers, 600k net adds in H1 2025; 8–9M goal by 2028
• Fiber/Frontier: Deal expected to close in Q1 2026; $500M+ cost synergies within three years
• Convergence: 18% of base takes bundles today; potential to double
• AI Connect: Monetizing wireline assets to serve AI workloads
“We said 80% to 90% of our sites will be C-band enabled this year, and that’s moving along on track,” Skiadas told the audience.
🌐 Analysis: C-band sits in the mid-band spectrum range, roughly 3.7–4.2 GHz, offering a balance of coverage and capacity that is critical for 5G. Verizon spent more than $45 billion in 2021 to acquire C-band licenses—its largest-ever spectrum purchase—and is now rapidly lighting those assets across its footprint. Skiadas emphasized that C-band not only boosts mobile performance but also underpins FWA growth by providing the capacity needed to deliver broadband in suburban and rural markets. The company’s convergence strategy hinges on this spectrum foundation, paired with fiber expansion via Frontier, to sharpen its position against cable rivals and other national carriers.
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