How ferocious will Verizon's fiber frenzy get?

Verizon's $20 billion play for Frontier Communications is a clear indicator that the company is pressing forward with a plan to expand its fiber footprint and establish a foundation for a broader convergence strategy that combines home broadband and mobile. But just how aggressive will Verizon become? Verizon is poised to expand to 29 million fiber locations by the end of 2026 based on Frontier's current plan to build to 10 million locations—representing just 19% of Verizon's wireless footprint, New Street Research estimates in a new study that explores Verizon's new fiber strategy. But Verizon's footprint could expand significantly if the company looks beyond Frontier's current buildout plan, bumps up the buildout pace in Verizon's existing footprint and explores fiber-focused joint ventures in out-of-footprint areas, the research firm suggests.