Did you know that Verizon owns a lot of other companies within the telecommunications world? A lot of people have been asking, does Verizon own Frontier, and are they the same?
Well, we’re going to answer that question for you, and also give you a lot of other useful information about Verizon and Frontier, so read further to learn all about it!
Does Verizon Own Frontier In [currentyear]?
Verizon does not own Frontier in [currentyear]. However, Verizon had built the fiber network Frontier was using, and had sold it to Frontier back in 2016. Additionally, Verizon had sold landline assets to Frontier in Florida, California, and Texas. This allowed Frontier to take over and own and operate those areas, which included Fios, video, voice, and broadband.
Do you want to know more about Verizon and Frontier, including if Verizon has plans to purchase Frontier? If so, keep reading to learn what I’ve discovered!
Who Is Frontier Owned By?
Ziply Fiber acquired the Northwest operations of Frontier Communications when it filed for bankruptcy in 2020, which means it will take over about 500,000 Frontier subscribers.
Furthermore, customers impacted by this acquisition include customers in Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon.
However, even though Frontier filed for bankruptcy in 2020, and sold off some assets, it has come back and restructured so that shareholders were wiped out.
Why Did Frontier Go Bankrupt?
Frontier went bankrupt because it had spent too little money on building fiber infrastructure, and relied more on DSL and other landline services.
Therefore, once DSL and landline services began to decline as more people moved to high-speed fiber optics, Frontier found itself lagging behind the competition.
Additionally, Frontier was heavily in debt, from purchases such as the Verizon deal, and could not pay shareholders.
It became a pile of debt that Frontier could not pay off, as it wasn’t making money, and the lack of preparation to innovate and build fiber-optic networks led to the bankruptcy.
How Are Verizon and Frontier Similar?
Verizon and Frontier both operate in the telecommunications industry, and Frontier is the most similar to Verizon Fios, since it provides services to customers, including the following:
- Fiber-optic internet
- Wireless internet
- Long-distance phone service
- Local phone service
- Fiber-optic television
- Digital phone services
Therefore, it made sense for Verizon to sell landline assets to Frontier in 2016, since both companies provide television, internet, and phone to customers using Fiber optic technology.
Is Frontier as Good as Verizon?
Frontier is not nearly as good as Verizon Fios, and that’s part of the reason why Frontier ended up in bankruptcy in 2020.
For example, Frontier has had a long history of overselling its upload and download speeds, so it’s received several negative reviews from customers over the years.
Not only are the speeds not as advertised, but the DSL is known to be fairly poor overall, and should only be considered if no other options for internet are available in your location.
However, one good thing about Frontier is that it didn’t have any internet data caps, and the plans were more affordable than Verizon.
Therefore, if you were on a tight budget, it could be a decent option.
Frontier is also available in about half of the United States if you look at the Frontier availability map, which does make it more available and useful than Verizon Fios if you live in those areas.
Why Hasn’t Verizon Bought Frontier?
While we don’t know the reasons why Verizon hasn’t purchased Frontier, it likely had to do with the bankruptcy filing, and the fact that Verizon had sold assets to Frontier in the past.
Furthermore, Verizon seems to have no interest in rebuying the assets it sold to Frontier in 2016.
Also, the company made no effort to try to acquire Frontier while it was going through bankruptcy.
Since Frontier has gone through a restructuring as part of the bankruptcy, we see no reason why Verizon would want to pay for Frontier and be a part of the rebuilding process.
Is It a Good Idea for Verizon to Buy Frontier?
It would be a good idea for Verizon to buy Frontier because Frontier Fios is available in more locations than Verizon Fios, so it would benefit Verizon quite significantly.
Additionally, both companies offer similar home phone, internet, and tv options, so Verizon purchasing Frontier wouldn’t change a lot of the offerings for those existing customers.
Verizon could expand its reach by utilizing the Frontier Fios network, gain customers, and increase revenue, which would be beneficial for Verizon as a whole.
There’s also the fact that Verizon had sold assets to Frontier in the past, so they have a business relationship together, and Verizon could regain those assets it sold.
However, at this time, we see no movement on the part of Verizon to purchase Frontier or acquire it in any shape or form, and no announcements or rumors have occurred about this.
To know more, you can also read our posts on whether or not Verizon owns Comcast, if Verizon owns Sprint, and if Verizon owns Straight Talk.
Conclusion
Verizon does not own Frontier, but did sell assets to Frontier in 2016, including selling off landline assets and fiber optic infrastructure in California, Florida, and Texas.
Furthermore, Frontier went through bankruptcy in 2020 as a result of sticking with more traditional DSL services, and not expanding its fiber-optic network.
