reports
- Jonathan Chaplin
USM sells spectrum to AT&T
US Cellular has sold its 3.45GHz licenses and 700MHz licenses to AT&T for $1.0BN. The transaction isn’t a surprise. It follows closely on the heels of the sale of Cellular licenses to Verizon for $1.0BN. USM and TDS have been our favorite small ideas, and this transaction supports the thesis. We run through the implications of the transactions for the parties involved and for spectrum valuations generally in this brief note.
- Jonathan Chaplin
Autumn for Broadband 3Q24
In this installment of our Autumn for Broadband series, we provide a quick update on trends in the broadband market based on what we have seen from the companies that have reported so far. Adjusted for ACP, trends have improved quite significantly. We continue to expect further recovery next year, once the ACP headwind has passed.
- Jan Frederik Slijkerman
TMT 3Q24 results: Verizon, T-Mobile USA, AT&T and IBM
Four US companies issuing Euro notes recently reported 3Q24 results: Verizon, T-Mobile USA[de], AT&T and IBM. There were no large surprises, although the weaker outlook for IBM's revenue growth was a disappointment, as well as Verizon's new policy guiding for somewhat higher financial leverage.
- Jonathan Chaplin
AT&T Model Update
This note overs changes to the model. We lowered postpaid phone adds a touch but increased EBITDA and FCF a touch. In our note following the call, we covered surprising comments on fiber wholesale, lowered expectations for Internet Air, and the implications of both for the industry. We covered results and comparison of trends with Verizon in a separate note.
- Jonathan Chaplin
AT&T: quick thoughts following the 3Q24 call
In this note we cover Stankey’s surprising comments on the future of fiber Open Access, the implications for asset multiples, the importance of asset mix in sector valuations going forward, and the implications for M&A. We also cover Stankey’s comments on FWA expectations and the implications for Cable.
- Jonathan Chaplin
AT&T 3Q24 Quick Take: Strong results
A strong set of results marked by in-line adds, better than expected ARPU, and lower than expected costs (low upgrades), all driving a beat on EBITDA and FCF. In addition to a comparison of results vs estimates and consensus, and the trending charts, in this note, we cover: 1. Contrasting mobile trends at AT&T and Verizon (AT&T is just doing better) 2. Contrasting fiber trends at AT&T and Verizon (AT&T is just doing better) 3. Contrasting FWA trends at AT&T and Verizon 4. What it all means for t...
- Blair Levin
NSR Policy: FCC Votes to Provide T a Big Step Towards 4.9 GHz Win
One of the few spectrum battles happening in the near-term is the battle over whether the FCC should transfer control of the 4.9 GHz spectrum band, currently licensed to local public safety groups, to the FirstNet Authority (FNA). This would have the effect of making 50 megahertz of spectrum, reportedly worth between $3 and $14 billion, available for exclusive commercial use by T at no cost to the company. A coalition supported by VZ and TMUS opposed the reallocation. As we anticipated, the F...
- Blair Levin
NSR Policy: Musk and BEAD: Further Thoughts
As part of our election impact series, we recently published an analysis of how Elon Musk might influence telecommunications policy under a potential Trump Administration to benefit his Starlink service. Few notes we have written have stirred the level of surprise and consideration that note produced. Nothing in the reaction causes us to reconsider what we wrote but we repeatedly heard one question that we believe deserves further elaboration. That question is how could Musk, at this late date, ...
- Jonathan Chaplin
US Cellular Sells 850MHz Licenses to Verizon
US Cellular has sold its cellular licenses in the 850MHz band, as well as a handful of AWS and PCS licenses, to Verizon for $1 billion. The transaction isn’t a surprise; we have been expecting USM to sell all their assets (USM and TDS have been our favorite small ideas). The price was higher than expected. In this note we briefly cover implications for USM, TDS, EchoStar, and spectrum values more broadly.
- Blair Levin
NSR Policy: Election Impact: Summary of Notes Plus Upcoming Calls
It is likely that in the next month (and perhaps beyond) the single most important event affecting capital markets will be the election. Over the last month, we have provided six notes on the potential impact of the election, separately focusing on policies affecting telecom, spectrum, media, tech, and leadership, as well as a note on what we think is the most underappreciated potential impact; how a Trump Presidency could result in a dramatic shift in telecom and spectrum policy due to the infl...
- Jan Frederik Slijkerman
- Jeroen van den Broek
- Jesse Norcross
- Nadège Tillier
- Timothy Rahill
- Jonathan Chaplin
AT&T selling DTV stake to TPG
AT&T is selling their 70% stake to TPG in a non-contingent transaction. The deal appears to value DTV at around 4x 2025 EBITDA (this is the multiple we have always used). When we saw this release, we thought it meant the DTV / Dish deal was off, but that deal was announced moments ago. We provide quick thoughts on the AT&T sale to TPG here, and will follow up on the Dish piece shortly.
- Jonathan Chaplin
Dish / DTV reportedly close to a deal
Bloomberg and the WSJ both reported this afternoon that the companies are close to a deal. They claim an announcement could come by Monday. The only new data points that we picked up were that DTV is the acquirer, and AT&T and TPG will remain investors (and presumably remain in control). In addition, the stories claim that Sling will be part of the sale.
- Jonathan Chaplin
Verizon & AT&T Model and Valuation Updates
We have updated our Verizon and AT&T models following commentary at recent conferences, with the changes being so few that we’ve combined the updates into one note. Verizon phone and broadband adds look set to beat consensus modestly in 3Q, with a bigger beat FCF. AT&T phone adds should beat handily, but their fiber adds will miss on the work stoppage in the Southeast; FCF will also miss, but this is a timing issue.
- Blair Levin
NSR Policy: The DBS Deal and the 12 GHz Band
While investors contemplate the financial implications and regulatory prospects of a potential DISH/DirecTV deal, one generally overlooked element of the transaction is the role the 12 GHz band could play in the value creation through the deal. In this note we analyze that potential which could be more disruptive to the market than generally understood; stated differently, the value of the deal could be more about spectrum than synergy.
- Blair Levin
T Advancing Towards 4.9 GHz FCC Win
One of the few spectrum battles happening in the near-term (as opposed to being on the distant horizon) is the battle over whether the FCC should transfer control of the 4.9 GHz spectrum band, currently licensed by local public safety groups, to the FirstNet Authority (FNA). This would have the effect of making 50 megahertz of spectrum, reportedly worth $14 billion, available for exclusive commercial use by T at no cost to the company. A coalition supported by VZ and TMUS have opposed the reallo...
- Blair Levin
NSR Policy: The Prospects for a DBS Merger Review: This Time It Actual...
Last Thursday, the New York Times ran a story any investor in media could have written several years ago headlined “Satellite TV Is in Trouble. DirecTV’s Dispute with Disney Shows Why: While the Cable TV Business is Declining Quickly, Satellite TV is Decaying Even Faster.”
- Jonathan Chaplin
- Jonathan Chaplin
The deal Verizon or AT&T should do next
We published a note on the impact of a potential Verizon acquisition on Frontier’s shareholders yesterday. We followed with a note on the impact of a deal on Verizon shareholders later. Blair covered regulatory considerations. We wrote a quick note following the deal announcement. And we hosted a call where we talked through evolving thoughts.
- Jonathan Chaplin
FWA capacity: where we could be wrong (Verizon critique #1)
What’s new: we have published a series of reports that establish that wireless carries can support about 23MM FWA subscribers, and they can’t economically add capacity to support more (see report on capacity limits here and economics of adding capacity). In this brief follow-up, we address the critique that our FWA usage assumption may be too high.
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