Frontier Communications was a home internet, TV and phone provider that began as Citizens Utilities in 1935. It went through bankruptcy in 2020. Verizon announced a $20 billion deal to buy it on September 5, 2024, and completed the acquisition on January 20, 2026.
Frontier Communications was acquired
Frontier traces back to Citizens Utilities Company, incorporated in 1935. It filed for bankruptcy on April 14, 2020, and emerged in March 2021. On September 5, 2024, Verizon announced a $20 billion deal to buy it. The last regulatory approval, from California, came January 15, 2026. Verizon completed the acquisition on January 20, 2026. Frontier stock stopped trading as an independent company.
If you had Frontier service
Frontier was a wireline and fiber company, not a cell carrier. Its customers now sit with Verizon, and the business operates as Frontier, a Verizon Company. The sources do not announce changes to existing Frontier plans. For a Frontier internet or home phone account, contact Frontier or Verizon.
How Frontier Communications ended
- 1935: Citizens Utilities Company, Frontier’s predecessor, is incorporated.
- April 14, 2020: Frontier files for bankruptcy.
- March 2021: Frontier emerges from restructuring.
- September 5, 2024: Verizon announces plans to acquire Frontier for $20 billion.
- January 15, 2026: California approval completes the required regulatory sign-offs.
- January 20, 2026: Verizon completes the acquisition; the business becomes Frontier, a Verizon Company.
Why Frontier was acquired
Verizon bought Frontier to grow its fiber footprint. Verizon called Frontier the largest pure-play fiber provider in the U.S. and pitched pairing its fiber internet with Verizon’s 5G mobile network. Combined with Verizon Fios, the network reaches about 30 million fiber passings across 31 states and Washington, D.C. The deal closed January 20, 2026, after California gave the final approval.
How to find who holds an old number now
- Check an old bill or payment record. It names the company that billed you last.
- Run the number through a carrier lookup tool. It shows the carrier that holds the number today.
- Call that carrier and ask for the account number and transfer PIN.
- Start the port from the new carrier. Never cancel the old line first.
Your right to keep a number
Number portability is federal law, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
How we verified Frontier Communications
BestCellular.com tracks active carriers and defunct ones. We keep both, because people still search for brands that no longer exist. Every fact on this page comes from the sources listed below, and we leave a detail out when no source states it. Where sources disagree, this page says so. If you can document a correction, tell us and we will check it against the sources.
Tracked and active are different counts on this site. Frontier Communications counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about Frontier Communications
Is Frontier Communications still available?
Yes, as a brand. Frontier is no longer an independent company. Verizon completed its acquisition on January 20, 2026, and the business now operates as Frontier, a Verizon Company.
Which network did Frontier use?
Frontier ran its own wireline and fiber network for internet, TV and home phone. It was not a cell carrier. Its fiber now forms part of Verizon’s network alongside Verizon Fios.
What happened to Frontier customers?
They became Verizon customers when the acquisition closed on January 20, 2026. The service continues under the name Frontier, a Verizon Company. The sources reviewed do not announce changes to existing Frontier plans.
When did Verizon close the Frontier deal?
January 20, 2026. Verizon announced the $20 billion deal on September 5, 2024. California gave the last required approval on January 15, 2026, which cleared the way to close five days later.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- Frontier Communications (Wikipedia): Origin 1935; bankruptcy April 14, 2020; Verizon deal announced September 5, 2024 for $20 billion; completed January 20, 2026.
- Verizon and Frontier receive all required regulatory approvals (Verizon): January 15, 2026: California approval; closing set for January 20, 2026; about 30 million fiber passings, 31 states and D.C.
- Verizon announces completion to acquisition of Frontier (Broadband Communities): January 30, 2026: closed January 20; operates as Frontier, a Verizon Company.
Best Cellular. “Frontier Communications: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/frontier-communications/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.
Live carriers to look at instead
No carrier took over Frontier Communications’s customers. These carriers publish their network and run today.