Telephone and Data Systems is scheduled to release third-quarter 2026 results before the market opens on Friday, Nov. 6, with a conference call set for 10 a. The revenue forecast implies little change from the prior year, while the earnings comparison reflects a lower base.
TDS has exceeded consensus earnings estimates in six of its past eight quarters, based on the current earnings calendar.
Investors are expected to focus on whether TDS Telecom’s fiber buildout is producing enough subscriber growth to offset declines in older copper and cable operations. The business delivered 66,000 marketable fiber service addresses in the second quarter and raised its 2026 target to between 250,000 and 300,000 addresses. The expansion is tied to planned 2026 capital spending of $625 million to $675 million, while residential fiber net additions reached 15,100 in the second quarter, up 47% from a year earlier.
The company is also operating through a broader restructuring of its portfolio. TDS shifted away from legacy communications assets after selling UScellular’s wireless operations and related assets to T-Mobile in 2025, while Array Digital Infrastructure remains focused on tower leasing and related infrastructure. Array’s tower-rental revenue rose 65% year over year in the second quarter, helped by its relationship with T-Mobile, and the coming update may provide information on continued tower momentum and the potential monetization of remaining spectrum holdings.
The central question for the release is whether fiber growth is beginning to stabilize total revenue as legacy services contract. In newly deployed markets, fiber penetration has been running in the low-20% range, leaving subscriber additions and penetration trends as key measures of the strategy’s progress. TDS and Array said they will publish their results on Nov. 6 and discuss the figures during the scheduled webcast; the earnings release will determine how much of the company’s fiber investment is translating into operating growth.