Altice USA aims to double in size in five years

Cable and telecom provider Altice Group’s US division aims to double in size over the next five years, but will adopt a cautious approach to M&A and will focus on the cable sector, according to CEO Dexter Goei, speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference in New York.

Altice USA chief Dexter Goei

Goei said that Altice was open to mergers and acquisitions, but declined to confirm speculation that the operator could bid for Charter Communications. He told attendees that the company would “patient” in waiting for the right opportunity and that it was primarly focused on the cable sector, countering speculation that Altice USA could acquire a fixed telecom or mobile operator.

Goei also said at the New York event that the launch of Altice’s new box in the US was still in progress, and said that the company wanted to ensure that its launch would be hitch-free.

Goei told attendees at the NAB Show in April that the group planned to roll out a higher-powered, updated version of the single combined set-top, cable modem and WiFi router it has already deployed in France via SFR.

At the NAB Show, Goei told Digital TV Europe that the box would be a higher-powered version of the La Box device already deployed in Europe and would include additional features such as an improved UI and voice control. He said that Altice’s plan is “to go fully IP” with this device in the second half of next year, but declined to give a specific timeline for the rollout of the box itself.

Altice USA recently promoted CTO Terry Cordova to vice-chairman, business development, and brought SFR CEO Philippe Le May over to fill his old position.