U.S. Switched Access Lines

This chart shows the number of switched access lines in the U.S.

The number of switched access lines in the U.S. has dropped 31 percent from the peak in 1999. AT&T experienced the lowest percentage loss at 31 percent over this period while Verizon lost 35 percent and Qwest lost 36 percent.

The number of subscribers lost over the last three years seems to have stabilized. Qwest is losing about 800 thousand subscribers per year. AT&T is losing about 2.7 million per year, and Verizon is using about 3.6 million subscribers per year.

After a reduction in the the percentage loss in 2004 and 2005, it has started moving downward again in 2006 in 2007. Over all there was a 6 percent loss in 2007. AT&T is doing the best with a 4.5 percent loss. Qwest experienced a 6.8 percent loss, and Verizon had an 8.7 percent loss.