Telephone & Data Systems Inc. (NYSE:TDS) Q2 2020 Earnings Conference Call - Final Transcript

about fixed wireless, is U.S. Cellular considering tearing down the walls of identifying itself as just a wireless business? And is it possible that the company is developing a more comprehensive broadband business, you may even take a page from TDS Telecom and maybe even deploy fiber to the home or to businesses in the markets that you serve?

Yes, Michael. Thanks for the question. So I would highlight, in the near term, we have plenty on our plates in terms of driving organic growth and I think we have a lot of opportunity in driving organic growth. And by organic, by the way, I mean your definition of, let's call it, the traditional methods of optimizing distribution, optimizing marketing and so on. In the long run, I think there's a lot of opportunities to get creative with those partnerships that you highlighted. I'll point you to a deal that I actually drove in my previous role as CEO of AT&T Mexico where we signed a, I would argue, quite creative deal with Telefonica in Mexico around infrastructure sharing and network sharing and so on. Now obviously, the Mexican market and the market here in the U.S. both competitively from a network perspective, entirely different. So don't take that as anything more than directional.

But I think there's a lot of opportunity to be creative and expansive in the way that we think. The great position that we're in here, and I have to give Ken and Steve Campbell a lot of credit, is that we're in a very strong operational and financial position. We have a healthy balance sheet. We have a disciplined approach, and that's a luxury for a guy like me. And when I think about the opportunities that, that creates in the long run. So near term, I would argue there's going to be just crisp blocking and tackling. Long term, I'm certainly open to a whole variety of different ways to create opportunities. And quite frankly, to make sure that we keep serving our customers, right?

The appetite that our customers have for high-speed data. Vicki went through on the wireline side, what they're seeing. Over 70% increase in our network on the mobility side, it's a fairly insatiable appetite for data. I think that's going to create a lot of opportunity for us in the long run. So thanks for the question. I very much appreciate it.

Thanks.

Are there any other concluding remarks?

Yes. We would just like to thank everyone for joining us today and look forward to some follow-up conversations. [Operator Closing Remarks]