AT&T has once again retained the top spot on Vertical Systems Group's U.S. Business Fiber Leaderboard, the ninth consecutive 

year the operator has held the top spot. This position was confirmed in its first-quarter earnings report: although traditional 

business revenue fell 9%, fiber and advanced connectivity services achieved 4.5% growth. "About two-thirds of revenue came 

from fiber connectivity, which is growing at an accelerating rate," said Chief Financial Officer Pascal Desroches.

The entry threshold for the 2024 ranking has increased from 15,000 to 25,000 fiber-covered buildings. The list includes Verizon, 

Spectrum Enterprise, Comcast Business Services, Lumen, Cox Business, Zayo, Crown Castle, Frontier and Breezeline. Rosemary 

Cochran, co-founder of Vertical Systems Group, pointed out: "Increased infrastructure investment, M&A transactions and private

 equity operations are strengthening the advantages of the top suppliers."

AI and cloud computing demand have become key drivers. To meet the demand for dedicated dark fiber and wavelengths for

AI applications, the number of commercial buildings and data centers covered by fiber in the United States has increased to 

nearly 1.8 million. "Telecom operators are expanding their fiber networks through strategic investments to meet the booming 

market for AI, cloud computing and data center connectivity," said Cochran.

The industry is experiencing a new wave of consolidation. AT&T announced the acquisition of Lumen's Mass Markets fiber business

 (expected to be completed in 2026), Verizon is about to acquire Frontier (covering 25 million locations in 31 states), and Charter

 will integrate Cox's commercial fiber assets. Zayo, which focuses on the enterprise market, also completed the acquisition of 

Crown Castle's fiber assets in March 2025. These transactions may reshape the competitive landscape of business services, but 

the final impact will not be seen until the transaction is completed next year.

It is worth noting that Comcast recently expanded its popular enterprise service "Dedicated Internet Access" (DIA) to 1 million

 new enterprises, and Charter, Cox and Comcast are all on the Vertical Systems Group's US Ethernet service rankings. Although 

telecom giants dominate the market, cable operators are participating in fierce competition by improving fiber business services.