Sure, the big cable companies and Bells are raking in the broadband bonanza, but its good to see the smaller players are enjoying the party as well. This morning, Dallas-based Commonwealth Telephone announced that it had added 10,650 DSL customers in 2005, to take its total to 29,262. CT is the eighth largest publicly held independent local exchange carrier in the US.
Earlier, Citizens Communications, a rural exchange carrier said that strong demand for its high-speed Internet service helped boost its results. The company added 99,000 DSL subscribers in 2005, taking its total to 311,400. Of the total, 21,200 DSL subscribers signed up in the fourth quarter of 2005. Century Tel, another small telco added 29,000 high-speed Internet subscribers during the fourth quarter and more than 106,000 for the full year 2005, an increase of nearly 75% since year end 2004. Cincinnati Bell, an Ohio-based local player added 9,000 DSL lines in the fourth quarter, and ended the year with 163,000.
Are these trends the ultimate proof that Broadband has gone mainstream?