On October 26, 2026, Reuters and The Wall Street Journal reported that Verizon had signed a fiber agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) worth more than $2 billion. The Journal described it as dark fiber for agentic AI, systems that can take actions toward goals, and generative AI workloads. Reuters described high-capacity fiber connectivity to AWS data centers.
What the reported agreement covers
Dark fiber refers to fiber-optic strands that are not carrying an active optical signal. The agreement concerns business connectivity for AWS data centers, rather than Verizon’s consumer Fios service. The Journal’s description ties the fiber to agentic and generative AI workloads.
The earlier AI Connect initiative
In November 2025, Verizon Business and AWS announced AI Connect, describing high-capacity, long-haul fiber routes to AWS data centers and resilient network paths. That announcement is earlier context for the companies’ fiber work; the 2026 agreement was reported as a signed deal valued at more than $2 billion.
Verizon’s results and revised outlook
Reuters reported Verizon’s third-quarter 2026 results and revised full-year forecasts on October 26, 2026. Postpaid phone net additions are the net change in postpaid phone subscribers after additions and cancellations. Adjusted EPS means adjusted earnings per share.
| Measure | Reported figure | Comparator |
| Third-quarter postpaid phone net additions | 406,000 | Visible Alpha consensus: 209,439 |
| Third-quarter revenue | $34.3 billion | LSEG market expectation: $34.74 billion |
| 2026 postpaid phone net-additions forecast | 1.1–1.2 million | Previous forecast: 750,000–1 million |
| 2026 adjusted EPS forecast | $5.04–$5.06 per share | Previous forecast: $4.99–$5.04 per share |
Verizon raised its full-year forecasts for both postpaid phone net additions and adjusted EPS. Third-quarter revenue was below the market expectation cited by Reuters, while postpaid phone net additions exceeded the consensus estimate listed above.
