Verizon (NYSE:VZ) surprised Wall Street with stronger-than-expected Q2 earnings, lifting the lower end of its full-year profit forecast. But a surprise dip in postpaid wireless subscribers reveals the pressure the telecom giant faces in a maturing U.S. market.

Strong Financials, Driven by Premium Plans

In the April-June quarter, Verizon posted:

• Revenue: $34.5 billion (vs. $33.74B expected)

• Adjusted EPS: $1.22, beating expectations

• Wireless service revenue: +2.2% YoY, driven by higher-tier plans and content bundles like Netflix

Despite these gains, Verizon lost 9,000 postpaid wireless subscribers, falling short of analysts' expectations for a 13,000 gain — a likely consequence of the price hikes rolled out earlier this year.

Betting Big on Broadband

With mobile saturation looming, Verizon is aggressively expanding its broadband presence:

• 293,000 net broadband additions in Q2

• Recently approved $20 billion acquisition of fiber-optic provider Frontier, enabling deeper internet infrastructure penetration

• Continued focus on wireless + broadband bundles to reduce churn

This fiber push is timely, as rivals AT&T and T-Mobile race to lock in high-value internet customers, while cable giants Comcast and Charter ramp up their own broadband offensives.

📊 You can track Verizon's earnings history and future calendar events using FMP's Earnings Historical API and Earnings Calendar API for real-time updates.

Final Word

Verizon's solid revenue and broadband momentum signal strength beneath headline subscriber softness. But in a hyper-competitive telecom market, margin growth will depend on how well it executes on fiber expansion — and whether those content bundles are enough to keep users from switching.