Altice USA Approaches Resumption of Fiber Network Construction

08 Sep, 2023

Altice USA Approaches Resumption of Fiber Network Construction

Mathew, the leader of Altice USA, expressed optimism about the company's fiber network expansion plans, projecting a return to a substantial growth range of 500,000 to 1 million fiber build activities next year, with further momentum expected in 2025. In Q2 2023, Altice USA successfully extended its fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network by adding approximately 287,000 passings, primarily concentrated in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, bringing the total to 2.66 million.

To facilitate the restart of construction, Altice USA is in the process of bringing on board new suppliers, a move led by Mathew, a former Comcast executive who assumed leadership at Altice USA the previous year. Mathew expressed confidence in the company's ability to recommence fiber construction in the near future.

Highlighting the strategic importance of having a robust fiber network, particularly in the competitive eastern region with Verizon, Mathew emphasized that fiber deployments typically yield incremental increases in average revenue per user (ARPU) of $10 to $20 compared to services running on hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks.

Altice USA is also upgrading to fiber in select rural areas, previously served by Suddenlink, while simultaneously relying on DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades to enhance its offerings.

Regarding broadband subscriber trends, Mathew anticipates a reduction in customer losses in the third quarter of the year. After experiencing a loss of 43,000 residential broadband subscribers in Q3 2022, Altice USA observed improvements in broadband customer acquisition activities in July and August.

Altice USA is undergoing a companywide transformation initiative, which includes changes in corporate and regional executive leadership across various departments. The company aims to reverse broadband subscriber losses and return to growth.

Altice USA is also planning to emphasize convergence, primarily driven by its recently introduced Optimum Complete plan, which bundles home broadband and mobile services. Research by the company revealed that 25% of consumers seek a single provider for both in-home and out-of-home connectivity.

Furthermore, Altice USA is focusing on retaining mobile customers as they transition from free line promotions, offering them attractive packages like the Optimum Complete bundle. Mathew noted that Optimum Mobile, which relies on an MVNO agreement with T-Mobile, currently averages 1.2 lines per customer, with plans to increase this average to two or more lines.

Mathew also commented on the ongoing carriage dispute between Charter Communications and The Walt Disney Company. He acknowledged the changing landscape of viewing habits and the challenges posed by the decreasing demand for pay-TV alongside rising prices. He emphasized the need for better collaboration between operators and content providers to offer both linear and direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming solutions that align with consumer preferences for content consumption. Mathew recognized that video remains a crucial application on their network, and addressing consumer demands for simplicity is a priority.