Verizon Gains Momentum in the Wireless Vertical: Will it Persist?

Verizon Communications, Inc. VZ is witnessing significant 5G adoption and fixed wireless broadband momentum. In the first quarter of 2025, the company recorded 2.4 million wireless retail postpaid gross ads and 3.6 million wireless postpaid upgrades. Verizon’s 5G network is built upon three fundamental drivers to deliver the full potential of next-generation wireless technology. These include massive spectrum holdings, particularly in the millimeter-wave bands for faster data transfer, end-to-end deep fiber resources and the ability to deploy a large number of small cells. The company is steadily accelerating the availability of 5G Ultra-Wideband network across the country.It holds a total of 2,035 MHz of spectrum with the acquisition of C-band spectrum. The C-band spectrum offers greater coverage for 5G networks and greater speeds than on low-band spectrum and paves the way to provide differentiated service of 5G Ultra-Wideband service to millions of customers. The company has formed several strategic partnerships to boost its 5G capability.It has collaborated with Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies to demonstrate a remarkable 480 Mbps uplink speed using sub-6 GHz spectrum. Faster uplink speed is critical for a wide range of use cases such as AI-driven applications, smart surveillance and industrial automation, augmented reality and more. The company also achieved an impressive download speed of 5.5 Gbps utilizing carrier aggregation and 5G virtualization. Verizon collaborated with Samsung Electronics and MediaTek during this venture. Such an initiative is expected to boost Verizon’s competitive edge in the highly saturated U.S. wireless industry.How Are Competitors Faring?Verizon faces competition from T-Mobile, US, Inc. TMUS and AT&T, Inc. T in the wireless industry.T-Mobile boasts a strong position in the 5G market. The company’s 5G network covers 98% or 330 million people in the country. T-Mobile continues to deploy 5G with the mid-band 2.5 GHz spectrum from Sprint. The 2.5 GHz provides fast delivery, superfast speeds and extensive coverage with signals that go through walls and trees, unlike 5G networks, which are controlled by the mmWave spectrum.AT&T is also aggressively expanding its 5G network, currently covering 295 million people nationwide. Its 5G service entails the utilization of millimeter wave spectrum for deployment in dense pockets, while in suburban and rural areas, the company intends to deploy 5G on mid and low-band spectrum holdings. AT&T 5G+ utilizes high-band spectrum to provide super-fast speed and is more responsive to the most demanding apps and services, making it ideal for high-traffic areas and large-scale venues and airports. The 5G+ is expected to drive customer addition in the long run.VZ’s Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesVerizon has gained 8.8% over the past year compared with the Wireless National industry’s growth of 28.3%.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchGoing by the price/earnings ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 9.05 forward earnings, down from 13.34 for the industry but above the stock’s mean of 8.95. It carries a Value Score of A.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchEarnings estimates for 2025 have declined 0.21% to $4.69 over the past 60 days, while the same for 2026 has remained unchanged at $4.86.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchVerizon currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.5% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AT&T Inc. (T): Free Stock Analysis Report Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ): Free Stock Analysis Report T-Mobile US, Inc. (TMUS): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks