Consolidation Will Continue 

Between CenturyLink announcing plans to acquire Level 3, Windstream and EarthLink set to merge, Verizon's acquisition of XO communications, and Charter's Time Warner Cable deal being cleared by the FCC, consolidation was running rampant in the telecom industry in 2016.

The trend will continue into 2017, industry pundits say. Rumors are already swirling this month that Verizon is in the market for a cable company, such as Comcast or Charter Communications. But 2017 could also see some of the smaller Tier 2 and Tier 3 carriers and Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) come together to increase their footprints and better compete with the larger players.