The seventeen largest cable and telecoms providers in the US (representing around 93 per cent of the market) acquired 579,521 additional broadband subscribers in the third quarter of this year, according to US firm Leichtman Research Group.

Cablecos added by far the majority (574k) of this total, with Comcast alone contributing 287,000, and Time Warner Cable delivering 98,000. Charter Communications was in third place with 78,000 additions

Some of the nation’s biggest telcos actually lost a significant number, with AT&T losing 42,000 in the quarter and Verizon losing 8,000. CenturyLink was the telco with the most additions, at 44,000.

There are estimated to be over 80.7 million broadband subscribers served by these cable and telecoms operators, with cable companies having 46.2 million and telephone companies accounting for 34.5 million.

“While top cable and telephone companies now account for over 80 million broadband subscribers, the industry continues to grow at a modest pace,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc.

“Over the first three quarters of 2012, the top broadband providers added over 2.1 million subscribers, compared to nearly 2.3 million subscribers added in the first three quarters of 2011.”