Latest news with #FrankBoulben
Phone Arena
5 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Verizon's not scared of cable MVNO's mobile push – says it wins either way
Verizon's feeling pretty confident these days when it comes to competing with cable companies like Comcast and Charter in the mobile space. Even though those cable giants have been gaining customers fast, Verizon says the tide may be turning. At a recent investor event, as LightReading reports, one of the company's top execs shared why he thinks Verizon is actually in a strong position – both when it wins and when it loses customers. Verizon 's chief revenue officer, Frank Boulben, says the company is continuing to gain ground against cable MVNOs like Comcast's Xfinity Mobile and Charter's Spectrum Mobile. Boulben says that he thinks these MVNOs have peaked, and that Verizon 's "port ratios" have been improving against the mobile offerings from US cable a "port ratio" is the number of customers a wireless provider gains from competitors through porting, compared to the number of customers it loses to competitors. This number indicates how well a carrier is competitively against its rivals. According to Boulben, these MVNOs are probably starting to lose some of their mobile customers, even if they aren't disclosing it. He says that's how Verizon can explain the port ratios that are now starting to improve. Image Credit - PhoneArena Both Charter and Comcast recorded record gains in the first quarter of 2025. Actually, the US cable industry captured in total of 886,000 mobile lines during the period, which is an improvement over the 804,000 lines a year ago. On the other hand, Verizon lost 289,000 postpaid phone customers during the first quarter, its worst result on record... Of course, Verizon runs the wireless network that these two MVNOs operate on, but it seems the carrier is doing just fine in that partnership. Apparently, it's even helping Verizon as it adds value or enhances its profitability per share. Boulben explains that when Verizon loses a retail customer to the cable companies, it loses the spread between retail and wholesale. However, when cable companies acquire a customer from somebody else in the market, Verizon gets the wholesale revenue. Basically, when you add up the spread it loses and the wholesale it gains, Verizon seems to be winning. Meanwhile, the Verizon exec also says that MSOs (Multiple System Operators, or cable companies) are taking less from Verizon than its fair share of the market. It's reported that Verizon is now trying to renegotiate its MVNO agreements with Comcast and Charter, but Boulben didn't comment on those efforts. In the meantime, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg, during the company's quarterly earnings conference call, said that Verizon has a very good relationship with its MVNO partners. It's possible that the FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) business is complicating Verizon 's MVNO negotiations, underlines LightReading. There are similar offerings from Verizon 's competitors AT&T and T-Mobile, and those cut into the core broadband businesses of most of the cable providers in the country. Boulben also says he hasn't seen a change in the NPS (Net Promoter Score) of cable companies. NPS reflects customer loyalty, or pretty much how likely customers are to recommend a carrier, a company, or a product to someone else. According to Boulben, there are still some practices MVNOs do that customers hate. | Image Credit - PhoneArena He notes that the MVNOs still use some practices that customers hate. For example, promotional roll-off. He notes that Verizon stopped doing that practice on Fios almost five years ago, and he claims the carrier didn't take a hit when it stopped it. Boulben notes that customers value transparency, and a pain point for customers is that you have a price year one, and then, at the end of the first year, you're faced with an inevitable price hike of 30 or 40%. And indeed, this practice is pretty annoying, if I may add. Recently, Boulben started speaking as a Verizon representative among investment banks. He was also the person that the carrier gave the responsibility of warning about a slowdown in the growth of new customers. This led to Verizon 's shares plummeting in March.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Verizon to speak at Cowen TMT Conference May 28
NEW YORK, May 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Frank Boulben, senior vice president and chief revenue officer for the Consumer Group of Verizon (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), is scheduled to speak at the Cowen Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Wednesday, May 28, at 10:15 a.m. ET. His remarks will be webcast, with access instructions available on Verizon's Investor Relations website, For details on Verizon's most recent financial results, view the company's 1Q25 earnings results here. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) powers and empowers how its millions of customers live, work and play, delivering on their demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security. Headquartered in New York City, serving countries worldwide and nearly all of the Fortune 500, Verizon generated revenues of $134.8 billion in 2024. Verizon's world-class team never stops innovating to meet customers where they are today and equip them for the needs of tomorrow. For more, visit or find a retail location at VERIZON'S ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit Media contacts: Adi in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Globe and Mail
13-03-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Why Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile Stocks All Bounced Back Today
Telecom stocks were in a funk earlier this week, with shares of Verizon (NYSE: VZ), AT&T (NYSE: T), and T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) all tumbling on Tuesday, after comments from Verizon chief revenue officer Frank Boulben, given at a Deutsche Bank Media, Internet & Telecom Conference, caused telecommunications sectors to freak out just a little bit. Given a few days to digest the news, however, investors seem to have concluded today that things aren't quite as bleak as they seem. As of 11 a.m. ET, all three stocks are bouncing back, with Verizon gaining 1.8%, AT&T up 1.9%, and T-Mobile doing best of all with a 2.5% gain. How Verizon spooked the market As Reuters reported Tuesday, Verizon exec Boulben commented that Verizon is trying to ratchet back promotional activity to shore up its profits, but some of its rivals are going in the other direction, leading to "elevated ... competitive intensity" and more price competition in the sector (read: a price war). Verizon warned that this could lead to "soft" wireless subscriber growth for it in Q1 2025. Industry analysts were quick to chime in, predicting that mobile subscriber growth seems to be slowing in general, and warning that if telecoms focus too much on stealing customers from each other, rather than growing the market and adding value generally, this won't be great for profits. And of course, continuing worries about the effects of President Trump's tariffs didn't help matters. Worries subside It's hard to see how raising tariffs on physical goods imports into the U.S., however, is going to have too much of an effect upon U.S. providers of wireless phone services. While tariffs might raise the cost of importing new phones for subscribers, they can presumably use their existing phones just as easily -- and spend the same amount of time talking, texting, and surfing the internet with them, for that matter, all of which generates revenue for AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile just the same as before. At the same time, inflation worries seem to be subsiding, with the most recent inflation report coming in cooler than expected, and today's Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price index was flat against January. Investors may also be weighing the potential for new forms of telecommunications services, notably direct-to-cell satellite communications from companies such as SpaceX Starlink and AST SpaceMobile, to help grow the telecom business generally. The easier it is to use cellphones, after all, the more likely people are going to be to use them, and to pay for them. And with their plans to use satellites to eliminate cellphone dead zones, Starlink and AST are making this easier than ever before. Make the call: Which telecom stock would you buy? All that really leaves us to do, therefore, as investors, is decide: Which telecom stock should I buy? Are any of them bargains? Let's take a quick look at the numbers: Price-to-Earnings Five-Year Projected Growth Rate Dividend Yield Net Debt AT&T 16.9 1.2% 4.3% $142.5 billion T-Mobile 25.8 20.3% 1.4% $109.5 billion Verizon 10.2 2% 6.4% $167.5 billion Data source: S&P Global Market Intelligence Crunching the numbers, AT&T stands out as probably the most overvalued telecom stock. While expected to outgrow Verizon slightly, AT&T pays an inferior dividend yield and costs significantly more than Verizon. That leaves investors with two stocks to choose from. If you're more of a growth investor, T-Mobile will probably appeal to you more with its superior projected growth rate offsetting its relatively high valuation. More conservative, value-oriented and income-desiring investors, on the other hand, may find the cheap P/E ratio and generous dividend yield at Verizon more attractive. Either way, I have to say that investors who are buying back these stocks today appear to have noticed something sooner than the rest of us: Telecom stocks, as a group, are not overpriced after all. In fact, whether you're a growth investor, a value investor, or a dividend investor, there's very likely a "right" telecom stock for you. Don't miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a 'Double Down' stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $300,143!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $41,138!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $495,976!* Right now, we're issuing 'Double Down' alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon. Continue » *Stock Advisor returns as of March 10, 2025
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Telecom Stocks Like AT&T and T-Mobile US Tumbled Today
One group of stocks that has been punished during this current market downturn is telecoms. On Tuesday, they got little respite, on news of remarks from a top executive at one of their incumbent companies. Many telecoms sank into the gloom that trading session, including big dogs AT&T (NYSE: T) and T-Mobile US (NASDAQ: TMUS); the pair closed the day down nearly 5% and 4% in price, respectively. Even associated businesses felt the pain, with networking specialist Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) losing more than 2% of its value despite publishing an estimates-beating quarterly earnings report. In an industry conference that likely wasn't as festive as some might have hoped, Verizon chief revenue officer Frank Boulben made some remarks that led investors to pull back from sector stocks. Boulben described the current first quarter as being packed with an "elevated level of competitive intensity." That sort of environment isn't all that conducive for growth, and accordingly, Boulben is expecting postpaid contract gross additions at his company to be flat or even slightly negative for the quarter. What also doesn't help Verizon or peer telecoms is increased device retention. He said that on average, consumers are keeping their phone models for more than 41 months before upgrading. That number was well lower in the recent past, at 24 months. Since Verizon, along with AT&T, is something of a pacesetter, what it's seeing on the landscape directly affects sentiment on the broader telecom industry. After all, if the company is struggling, it's likely the smaller guys are either facing headwinds already, or will soon. The market's draining optimism was reflected in the investor reaction to Ciena's otherwise encouraging fiscal first quarter of 2025 earnings release, published before market hours. For the period, the networking company booked $1.07 billion in revenue, which was 3% higher on a year-over-year basis. Non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) adjusted net income was down but not by much, at $94 million ($0.64 per share) against the first quarter of fiscal 2024's nearly $97 million profit. Both headline figures, particularly the bottom-line result, topped the consensus analyst estimates of $1.05 billion on the top line and $0.42 per share for adjusted net income. Boulben's remarks come at a time when investors are a bit jittery about the possible effect of tariffs on telecom stocks. These levies haven't been as aggressive or wide-ranging as many suspected, but they could potentially affect some of the raw materials that are used for telecom equipment. This sector isn't out of the woods yet, and investors should remain cautious about it. Before you buy stock in AT&T, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and AT&T wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $655,630!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 789% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 163% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of March 10, 2025 Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends T-Mobile US and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Telecom Stocks Like AT&T and T-Mobile US Tumbled Today was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
11-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Verizon warns of 'soft' subscriber growth on strong competition, shares fall
March 11 (Reuters) - Verizon warned on Tuesday that first-quarter subscriber growth would likely be "soft" as rival carriers attract customers with promotions, sending its shares down 5.3% in premarket trading. The U.S. wireless giant pulled back on customer incentives after the promotion-heavy December quarter, but rivals did not, intensifying competition, Chief Revenue Officer Frank Boulben said at Deutsche Bank's Media, Internet & Telecom Conference. American telecom firms have leaned on incentives in a fierce battle for customers as growth slows in a saturated market. That has boosted subscriber growth but raised worries about profits. Shares of Verizon rival AT&T (T.N), opens new tab were down 4.5% as it also said it saw elevated subscriber churn in January, while T-Mobile US (TMUS.O), opens new tab was down 2.1%. Verizon has also seen "a slow start" to phone upgrades in the first quarter, a sign that customers were continuing to hold back on purchases amid growing worries about the U.S. economy. Still, the company expects to add more monthly-bill paying wireless subscribers in 2025 than the around 900,000 subscribers it added last year, as it benefits from its customizable myPlan. The comments follow a strong fourth quarter for U.S. telecom firms, where plans bundling 5G services with high-speed fiber data, as well as streaming services, helped attract customers. Verizon also said it did not expect a big hit due to the tightening in U.S. immigration. "We expect very limited impact on the postpaid side where customers have got to provide some form of identification to get onto a contract. So if there is any impact, we will see it towards the low end of the prepaid market," Boulben said. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has kicked off a sweeping immigration crackdown, tasking the U.S. military with aiding border security and issuing a broad ban on asylum.
