The trends in U.S. wireline telecommunications of the past two years have continued over the past several months, with phone companies still losing residential access lines while adding more digital subscriber line (DSL) customers.
Meanwhile, competition between cable and phone companies for video customers has heated up. Overall growth remains good in the wireless sector, but not all carriers are benefiting equally. The cable industry seems to have peaked in terms of the number of video subscribers, though growth from advanced services is still solid.
Significant longer-term uncertainty pervades the telecom sector because the clear lines of demarcation between industry subsectors are all but gone. The establishment of wireless as a substitute for a traditional wireline has redefined the balance between the two technologies.
