Verizon’s third-quarter results underscored stability rather than strength. Revenue rose just 1.5% year-over-year to $33.8 billion as wireless service growth held steady and free cash flow improved, but subscriber additions lagged rivals. “Verizon is clearly falling short of our potential,” new CEO Dan Schulman admitted, pledging “reinvention” focused on loyalty, retention, and fiber expansion through new partnerships with Tillman Global Holdings and the pending Frontier acquisition.

That fiber emphasis mirrored movement elsewhere in the infrastructure market: Zayo has announced a major backbone modernization with Nokia, deploying 400G- and 800G-ready routers to meet surging AI-driven traffic demands. The upgrade aims to enhance scalability and resilience across U.S. markets as Zayo continues its aggressive long-haul and metro buildouts. And if you haven’t already, make sure to watch our new interview with Zayo Chief Product Officer Bill Long to hear more about the company’s fiber strategy. 

Over in China, ZTE’s strong quarter, in which it reported an 11.6% year-over-year increase in revenue for the first nine months of 2025, can be largely attributed to growth in its computing and enterprise businesses, even as domestic 5G investment slowed. The company said that it remained committed to “advancing the deep convergence of AI and ICT foundational technologies,” as well as “expanding computing infrastructure to meet rising AI-driven demand” and “accelerating the upgrade of AI-enabled edge devices.” 

If today’s top stories suggest anything, it’s that the telecom sector is balancing modernization and monetization — where fiber scale and AI workloads increasingly define who’s poised to grow next.