Qwest

What Qwest does

Qwest Corporation is a Delaware-domiciled, wholly-owned subsidiary of Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) that historically operated as a major U.S. wireline and broadband carrier and now serves residential and business customers under the CenturyLink brand. The company delivers internet, voice, and TV services over a legacy wireline and fiber network, with residential offerings including Simply Unlimited Internet (up to 140 Mbps), Fiber Internet (up to 940 Mbps with symmetric speeds), landline and VoIP phone services, and partner-delivered TV through DISH, DIRECTV, and Sling TV. Business customers are served through MTU Business Fiber, MTU Fiber+, Dedicated Internet Access, static IP, and VoIP products, with bundled add-ons such as Premium WiFi, Secure WiFi, and Business Solution Pack.

Qwest's revenue model is anchored in monthly recurring residential and business subscriptions priced at $55–$75/mo for internet tiers, plus equipment leases (up to $17/mo) and ancillary services such as Cyber Shield (Aura partnership) and Personal Tech Pro (Assurant partnership). Services are offered month-to-month with no annual contracts, supported by paperless billing incentives and a Refer & Earn program. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the CenturyLink web portal with ZIP-code-based service qualification, complemented by 24/7 chat and phone support.

Operationally, Qwest is in a debt-restructuring posture: in April–May 2026, it launched exchange offers on approximately $1.64 billion in aggregate principal of 6.5% Notes due 2056 and 6.75% Notes due 2057, secured a noteholder support agreement, and announced the delisting and deregistration of its Old Qwest Notes from the NYSE. These moves, executed under the Lumen Technologies parent, signal balance-sheet simplification rather than growth investment.

Name

Qwest

Legal name

Qwest Corporation

Website

https://qwest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Qwest Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lumen Technologies operating residential and business internet, voice, and TV services across the United States under the CenturyLink brand over a legacy wireline and fiber network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711)

SIC

Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)

akta.pro primary industry

Fiber ISPs (FTTH/FTTP Retail Providers) (HDAIADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP/FTTH) Broadband Providers (HDAIABAC), Fiber-to-the-Premises/Building (FTTP/FTTB) Operators (HDAIACAC)

Keywords

• Residential internet services
• Fiber optic internet
• Business phone services
• VoIP solutions
• Telecommunications services

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

Qwest, operating commercially as CenturyLink, sells residential and business telecommunications services across the United States. The portfolio includes Simply Unlimited Internet (up to 140 Mbps), Fiber Internet (up to 940 Mbps), landline/VoIP phone services, MTU Business Fiber, Dedicated Internet Access, and partner-branded TV offerings from DISH, DIRECTV, and Sling TV. Services are sold on a month-to-month basis without annual contracts.

Product overview

Qwest (now operating under the CenturyLink brand as a subsidiary of Lumen Technologies) offers a comprehensive telecommunications portfolio of internet, phone, and TV services for residential and business customers. The product suite includes Simply Unlimited Internet with various speed tiers (up to 140 Mbps), Fiber Internet with speeds up to 940 Mbps, landline phone services (Simply Unlimited Phone), and VoIP solutions (Connected Voice). Business services include MTU Business Fiber Internet, Dedicated Internet Access, Static IP, and Business Solution Pack. TV services are delivered through strategic partnerships with DISH, DIRECTV, Sling TV, and streaming providers. The portfolio also includes add-on services like Premium WiFi, Secure WiFi, Cyber Shield security protection, and the Refer & Earn customer referral program. Services operate on a month-to-month basis with no annual contract requirements, supported by 24/7 customer assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Simply Unlimited Internet
• Fiber Internet Residential fiber-optic internet service offering speeds up to 940 Mbps with symmetric upload/download speeds, free installation, and WiFi equipment included in select locations; sold to U.S. households within the fiber footprint.
• Simply Unlimited Phone Residential landline phone service with unlimited nationwide calling including Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, available as a standalone service or bundled with internet.
• Connected Voice (VoIP) Business VoIP phone service with unlimited local and long-distance calling plus international minute buckets to Canada, Mexico, the UK, Ireland, and Germany; available in Basic and Professional tiers.
• Small Business Digital Phone Business phone service requiring an internet connection, with features including Caller ID, Hold, Call Waiting, 3-way calling, Voicemail, and text messaging options.
• MTU Business Fiber Internet Fiber internet service designed for medium to large business customers, providing dedicated bandwidth and service level agreements for consistent performance.
• MTU Fiber+ Business fiber internet service with enhanced features and support targeted at medium to large enterprise customers.
• MTU Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) Lumen Dedicated internet access service for business customers requiring guaranteed bandwidth and consistent performance.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AT&T: Major incumbent wireline and wireless carrier offering fiber broadband (AT&T Fiber) plus mobile and pay-TV nationwide. Direct overlap with Qwest/CenturyLink's fiber and voice portfolio, with much greater national scale and mobile bundling capability.
• Comcast Xfinity: Largest U.S. cable broadband and pay-TV provider, offering gigabit cable and bundles with mobile and streaming. Competes directly with CenturyLink for residential broadband subscribers in overlapping markets, with deep Xumo/streaming integration.
• Verizon: Incumbent telecom with Fios fiber-to-the-home broadband, fixed wireless access, and mobile services. Competes head-to-head in fiber markets and increasingly with 5G FWA in geographies that overlap Qwest's footprint.
• Charter Spectrum: Major U.S. cable broadband operator with Spectrum One bundles combining internet, mobile, and TV. Direct competition for Qwest's residential broadband and bundle business across many of the same geographies.

Emerging players

• T-Mobile Home Internet: 5G fixed wireless access home broadband leveraging T-Mobile's mobile network. Increasingly relevant competitive threat to Qwest's copper and lower-speed fiber tiers, especially outside dense urban footprints.
• Google Fiber: Pure-fiber ISP offering gigabit and multi-gig residential internet in select cities. Represents a high-end fiber competitor and a long-term pricing/expectation benchmark in markets where it overlaps with Qwest.

Direct peers

• Frontier Communications: Pure-play fiber and wireline telecom operator with a very similar FTTH-led, copper-overlay footprint and product mix. One of the closest functional peers to Qwest/CenturyLink in both network architecture and target customer.
• TDS Telecom: Regional ILEC actively expanding fiber-to-the-home in smaller markets with a comparable mix of fiber buildout and legacy copper services. Competes for many of the same residential and SMB customers as CenturyLink.
• Windstream (Kinetic): Regional fiber and wireline telecom operator focused on residential and SMB broadband over a similar mix of fiber and copper. Directly comparable in network strategy, product portfolio, and customer segmentation.

Others

• Cox Communications:

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CenturyLinkHome
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CenturyLink
• Facebookfacebook.com/CenturyLink
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qwest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Qwest