Ownership

America’s broadband industry invested $94.7 billion in U.S. communications infrastructure in 2023, as broadband providers worked intensively to connect communities to high-speed networks.

UScellular is selling a portion of its spectrum licenses to Verizon for $1 billion as it looks to monetize the spectrum that wasn’t included in the proposed sale to T-Mobile.

SpaceX has used its position as the world’s primary rocket launcher to push rival satellite operators to share wireless airwaves, showing how the company can flex its power in one area to benefit another part of its business.

Verizon's $20 billion play for fiber network operator Frontier Communications likely won't encounter any major troubles from regulators or competitors, according to a handful of financial analysts. "Frontier will be acquired by Verizon," wrote the financial analysts at TD Cowen.

U.S. District Judge James Donato ordered Google to make it easier for developers of mobile-app stores to compete on phones and tablets that use the company’s Android software. The injunction is the result of Google losing an antitrust case—brought by “Fortnite” developer Epic Games—during a jury trial in December 2023.

Verizon Communications reached a $3.3 billion deal that gives Vertical Bridge the exclusive rights to lease, operate and manage thousands of wireless communications towers over at least 10 years. The two companies said the agreement is structured as a prepaid lease, with upfront payments of about $2.8 billion in cash.

DirecTV agreed to buy Dish from owner EchoStar for a nominal $1, plus the assumption of roughly $9.8 billion in debt. That merger depends on an agreement with bondholders to write off about $1.6 billion of the Dish obligations as well as approval from multiple federal regulators. Merging Dish with DirecTV would bolster both brands’ profits as their customer bases erode. The deal would create the largest U.S.

Fortnite maker Epic Games says it is suing Google and Samsung, alleging that the companies secretly colluded and imposed “onerous” restrictions on new third-party app stores. Epic alleges that Google and Samsung made it too difficult for consumers to download app stores made by outside software developers, a new possibility after Google lost a previous antitrust lawsuit brought by the videogame company. The tech giants conspired to make a feature called Auto Blocker active by default on Samsung’s newest smartphones, according to Epic.

There are more than 400 small fiber providers in the U.S. that are ripe for picking by investors or larger fiber companies when the "inevitable" major fiber consolidation wave occurs, according to the consulting firm AlixPartners. The firm conducted a survey in August of 60 executives at different fiber companies in the telecom space. According to the survey, 93 percent of respondents said consolidation is happening or will happen soon.

A new wave of private capital and joint ventures is beginning to transform the way open access networks are financed and developed. What was once largely a public-sector initiative is now attracting billions in private investment from firms like the Canadian Northleaf Capital Partners and BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, betting heavily on shared network models.