Lumen Technologies Reports Solid Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results; Completes AT&T Transaction, Strengthening Balance Sheet and Advancing Enterprise Focus

Delivers revenue, Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow in line with expectations as Lumen sharpens focus on high-value enterprise growth

Signs additional $2.5B in PCF contracts and grows NaaS customer base, showing continued momentum on company’s return to growth

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) reported results for the fourth quarter and full year ended Dec. 31, 2025.

• AT&T Transaction Closes: Completed the $5.75 billion transaction with AT&T, reducing total debt by over $4.8 billion and net leverage by a full turn to below 4x. Annual interest expense is down nearly 45% vs. 2025 levels, and capex is reduced by over $1 billion, increasing flexibility to invest in network modernization and growth initiatives.
• Financial Performance: Adjusted EBITDA landed at the high end of our guidance range, despite the one-time giveback associated with the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund in Q2 2025. Free cash flow remained solid, even before the expected $400 million tax refund anticipated in the first half of 2026.
• Operational Execution: Exceeded cost reduction target, ending the year with over $400 million in run-rate savings. The company is on track for $700 million of cost savings exiting 2026 and targeting $1 billion exiting 2027, driving expected Adjusted EBITDA growth and supporting its strategy to modernize the network for AI.
• Growth Pivot: NA Enterprise grow revenue hit 52% in Q4, surpassing nurture and harvest segments and highlighting our improving business mix. PCF sales reached nearly $13 billion, while NaaS customers grew 29%, highlighting strong demand for on-demand, programmable network services in the AI, multi-cloud world.

“The combination of a solid fourth quarter and the close of the AT&T transaction marks a defining moment for Lumen and strengthens our foundation for growth,” said Lumen CEO Kate Johnson. “We’re emerging as a simpler, more focused enterprise company with a stronger balance sheet and greater flexibility to invest in our strategy to modernize the physical network, scale our digital platform, and help customers move data quickly, securely, and effortlessly to thrive in the AI era. This is how we create value for our customers and shareholders.”

Fourth Quarter 2025 Highlights

• Revenues of $3.041 billion for the fourth quarter 2025
• Reported Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities of $562 million for the fourth quarter 2025 compared to Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities for the fourth quarter 2024 of $688 million¹
• Generated Free Cash Flow¹ of $(765) million for the fourth quarter 2025, excluding cash paid for Special Items of $317 million, compared to Free Cash Flow of $(174) million² for the fourth quarter 2024, excluding cash paid for Special Items of $53 million
• Reported Net Loss of $(2) million for the fourth quarter 2025, compared to reported Net Income of $85 million for the fourth quarter 2024
• Reported diluted loss per share of $0.00 for the fourth quarter 2025, compared to diluted earnings per share of $0.09 for the fourth quarter 2024. Excluding Special Items¹, diluted earnings per share was $0.23 for the fourth quarter 2025, compared to $0.09 diluted earnings per share for the fourth quarter 2024
• Generated Adjusted EBITDA¹ of $767 million for the fourth quarter 2025, compared to $1.052 billion for the fourth quarter 2024, excluding the effects of Special Items of $280 million and $132 million, respectively

Full Year 2025 Highlights

• Revenues of $12.402 billion for the full year 2025
• Reported Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities of $4.738 billion for the full year 2025 compared to Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities for the full year 2024 of $4.333 billion²
• Generated Free Cash Flow¹ of $1.041 billion for the full year 2025, excluding cash paid for Special Items of $670 million, compared to Free Cash Flow of $1.386 billion² for the full year 2024, excluding cash paid for Special Items of $284 million
• Reported Net Loss of $(1.739) billion for the full year 2025, compared to reported Net Loss of $(55) million for the full year 2024
• Reported diluted loss per share of $(1.75) for the full year 2025, compared to diluted loss per share of $(0.06) for the full year 2024. Excluding Special Items¹, diluted loss per share was $(0.13) for the full year 2025, compared to $(0.21) diluted loss per share for the full year 2024
• Generated Adjusted EBITDA¹ of $3.360 billion for the full year 2025, compared to $3.939 billion for the full year 2024, excluding the effects of Special Items of $747 million and $494 million, respectively

Financial Results

Revenue

Total Revenue was $3.041 billion for the fourth quarter 2025, compared to $3.329 billion for the fourth quarter 2024.

Cash Flow

Free Cash Flow, excluding Special Items, was $(765) million in the fourth quarter 2025, compared to $(174) million in the fourth quarter 2024.

Liquidity

As of Dec. 31, 2025, Lumen had cash and cash equivalents of $1.003 billion.

2026 Financial Outlook

The Company issued its full-year 2026 financial outlook, which is detailed below:

Investor Call

Lumen’s management team will host a conference call at 5:00 p.m. ET today, Feb. 3, 2026. The conference call will be streamed live over the Lumen website at ir.lumen.com. Additional information regarding fourth quarter 2025 results, including the presentation materials, will be available on the Investor Relations website prior to the call. A webcast replay of the call will also be available on our website for one year.

About Lumen Technologies:

Lumen is unleashing the world's digital potential. We ignite business growth by connecting people, data, and applications – quickly, securely, and effortlessly. As the trusted network for AI, Lumen uses the scale of our network to help companies realize AI's full potential. From metro connectivity to long-haul data transport to our edge cloud, security, managed service, and digital platform capabilities, we meet our customers’ needs today and as they build for tomorrow.

For news and insights visit news.lumen.com, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, X: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies. Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks of Lumen Technologies LLC in the United States. Lumen Technologies LLC is a wholly-owned affiliate of Lumen Technologies, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical and factual information, the matters set forth in this release and other of our oral or written statements identified by words such as “estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “will,” and similar expressions with respect to the future are forward-looking statements as defined by the federal securities laws, and are subject to the “safe harbor” protections thereunder. The forward-looking statements included in this press release including without limitation statements regarding our future financial results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition, our transformation strategy, our modernization efforts and our competitive position, and the assumptions on which they are based are not guarantees of future results and are based on current expectations only, are inherently speculative, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual events and results may differ materially from those anticipated, estimated, projected or implied by us in those statements if one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove incorrect. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, estimated, projected or implied by us in those forward-looking statements include but are not limited to: the effects of intense competition from a wide variety of competitive providers, including decreased demand for our more mature service offerings and increased pricing pressures; the effects of new, emerging or competing technologies, including those that could make our products less desirable or obsolete; our ability to successfully and timely attain our key operating imperatives, including attaining projected cost savings, simplifying and consolidating our network, simplifying, and automating our service support systems, attaining our infrastructure buildout targets, replacing aging or obsolete plant and equipment, and strengthening our relationships with customers; our ability to successfully and timely monetize our network related assets through leases, commercial service arrangements or similar transactions (including as part of our Private Connectivity Fabric^SM solutions), including the possibility that the benefits of or demand for these transactions may be less than anticipated, that the costs thereof may be more than anticipated, or that we may be unable to satisfy any conditions of any such transactions in a timely manner, or at all; our ability to safeguard our network, and to avoid the adverse impact of cyber-attacks, security breaches, service outages, system failures, or similar events impacting our network or the availability and quality of our services; the effects of ongoing changes in the regulation of the communications industry, including the outcome of legislative, regulatory, or judicial proceedings relating to content liability standards, intercarrier compensation, universal service, service standards and obligations, broadband deployment, data protection, network security, privacy, and net neutrality; our ability to generate cash flows sufficient to fund our financial commitments and objectives, including our capital expenditures, operating costs, debt obligations, taxes, and pension contributions and other benefits payments; our ability to effectively retain and hire key personnel and to successfully negotiate collective bargaining agreements on reasonable terms without work stoppages; our ability to successfully adjust to changes in customer demand for our products and services, including increased demand for high-speed data transmission services, low-latency connectivity, and scalable infrastructure driven largely by the growth of artificial intelligence applications and workloads, and the risk that we may misjudge the timing, scale, or nature of such demand, leading to potential misalignment of our investments or strategic priorities; our ability to enhance our growth products and manage the decline of our legacy products, including by maintaining the quality and profitability of our existing offerings, introducing profitable new offerings on a timely and cost-effective basis, and transitioning customers from our legacy products to our newer offerings; our ability to successfully and timely implement our corporate strategies, including our transformation, modernization and simplification, buildout and deleveraging strategies; our ability to successfully consummate and timely realize the anticipated benefits from the recently completed sale of our Mass Markets fiber-to-the-home business in 11 states to AT&T; our ability to successfully and timely realize the anticipated benefits from our 2022 and 2023 divestitures, our 2024 debt modification and extinguishment transactions, and our 2025 debt refinancing transactions, in each case as described in our prior reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"); changes in our operating plans, corporate strategies, or capital allocation plans, whether based upon changes in our cash flows, cash requirements, financial performance, financial position, market or regulatory conditions, or otherwise; the impact of any future material acquisitions or divestitures that we may transact, including our recently completed sale of our Mass Markets fiber-to-the-home business in 11 states; the negative impact of increases in the costs of our pension, healthcare, post-employment, or other benefits, including those caused by changes in capital markets, interest rates, mortality rates, demographics, or regulations; the impact of events that harm our reputation or brands, including the potential negative impact of customer or shareholder complaints, government investigations, security breaches, or service outages impacting us or our industry; adverse changes in our access to credit markets on acceptable terms, whether caused by unstable markets, debt covenant restrictions, changes in our financial position, lower credit ratings, or otherwise; our ability to meet the terms and conditions of our debt obligations and covenants, including our ability to make transfers of cash in compliance therewith; our ability to maintain favorable relations with our security holders, key business partners, suppliers, vendors, landlords, or lenders; our ability to timely obtain necessary hardware, software, equipment, services, governmental permits, and other items on favorable terms; the potential adverse effects arising out of allegations regarding the release of hazardous materials into the environment from network assets owned or operated by us or our predecessors, including any resulting governmental actions, removal costs, litigation, compliance costs, or penalties; our ability to collect our receivables from, or continue to do business with, financially-troubled customers; our ability to continue to use intellectual property necessary to conduct our operations; any adverse developments in legal or regulatory proceedings involving us; changes in tax, trade, tariff, pension, healthcare, or other laws or regulations, in governmental support programs, or in general government funding levels, including any adverse impact of a prolonged shutdown of the U.S. government; our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards in the amounts projected and to fully realize any anticipated benefits from recently-enacted federal tax legislation; the effects of changes in accounting policies, practices, or assumptions, including changes that could potentially require additional future impairment charges; the effects of adverse weather, terrorism, epidemics, pandemics, war, rioting, vandalism, societal unrest, political discord, or other natural or man-made disasters or disturbances; the potential adverse effects if our internal controls over financial reporting have weaknesses or deficiencies, or otherwise fail to operate as intended; the effects of changes in interest rates or inflation; the effects of more general factors such as changes in exchange rates, in operating costs, in public policy, in the views of financial analysts, or in general market, labor, economic, public health, or geopolitical conditions; and other risks referenced in our filings with the SEC. Additional factors or risks that we currently deem immaterial, that are not presently known to us, or that arise in the future could also cause our actual results to differ materially from our expected results. Given these uncertainties, investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events or developments, changed circumstances, or otherwise. Furthermore, any information about our intentions contained in any of our forward-looking statements reflects our intentions as of the date of such forward-looking statement, and is based upon, among other things, our assessment of regulatory, technological, industry, competitive, economic, and market conditions as of such date. We may change our intentions, strategies or plans (including our capital allocation plans) at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such factors or otherwise.

Reconciliation to GAAP

This release includes certain historical and forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures, including but not limited to Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, Free Cash Flow, Unlevered Cash Flow and adjustments to GAAP and non-GAAP measures to exclude the effect of Special Items.

In addition to providing key metrics for management to evaluate the Company’s performance, we believe these above-described measurements assist investors in their understanding of period-to-period operating performance and in identifying historical and prospective trends.

Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures are included in the attached financial schedules. Non-GAAP measures are not presented to be replacements or alternatives to the GAAP measures, and investors are urged to consider these non-GAAP measures in addition to, and not in substitution for, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Lumen may present or calculate its non-GAAP measures differently from other companies.

Media Relations Contacts:
Anita Gomes
anita.gomes@lumen.com
+1 858-229-8538

Joe Goode
joseph.goode@lumen.com
+1 781-799-6048

Investor Relations Contact:
Jim Breen, CFA
investor.relations@lumen.com
+1 603-404-7003