Verizon cedes market leadership crown to predictable new king
T-Mobile has surpassed Verizon as the carrier with the most customers.
T-Mobile has taken over Verizon as the largest carrier by subscriber base, says Recon Analytics' analyst and founder, Roger Entner.
T-Mobile has surpassed Verizon as the service provider with the most household accounts, and unless Verizon's new CEO, Dan Schulman, executes a swift turnaround, T-Mobile will become the largest carrier across all segments by the end of the year.
Looking at the current trajectory, T-Mobile will likely outdo its rivals. On November 20, the company announced a new feature for its T-Life app to let AT&T and Verizon customers switch within 15 minutes without setting foot in a retail store.
Entner explains that friction, or the time and steps it took to switch, was a retention tool. By automating the process, T-Mobile has removed that obstacle and turned moving to a new carrier into an impulse buy.
Verizon was the largest carrier until a few days ago, but it had been losing customers, while T-Mobile had been adding subscribers. In Q3, T-Mobile gained 1 million new customers, while Verizon lost 7,000 postpaid customers. Thus, it was only a matter of time until Verizon lost its crown to T-Mobile.
With T-Mobile digitising the account creation process, it has made it even easier for customers of rival companies to ditch them.
Verizon is also going to pursue an automation-driven transformation, so we may see something similar from the company soon.
The online switching will make it more convenient for customers to switch, much like the previous termination of service contracts and the introduction of number port-out did.
This means that carriers can no longer rely on friction as a churn-reduction tool, nor can they coerce customers into buying accessories or the priciest plan by using aggressive sales tactics. Instead, they need to deliver value and allow customers to make an informed choice.
Verizon's new CEO, Schulman, is on a mission to turn things around, but that doesn't mean price reduction yet. However, now that the company is laying off 13,000 employees and transforming 179 stores into franchised operations, it may have some financial room to lower rates and win back customers it lost to rivals to reclaim its lead.
Otherwise, T-Mobile will likely continue ascending further until it reaches a point where it will take years for Verizon to catch up.
T-Mobile now has more subscribers than any other US carrier
T-Mobile has surpassed Verizon as the service provider with the most household accounts, and unless Verizon's new CEO, Dan Schulman, executes a swift turnaround, T-Mobile will become the largest carrier across all segments by the end of the year.
Entner explains that friction, or the time and steps it took to switch, was a retention tool. By automating the process, T-Mobile has removed that obstacle and turned moving to a new carrier into an impulse buy.
Customers will also be spared forced upselling, which is a common complaint across carriers. Sales representatives coerce customers into buying accessories and add-ons to meet their goals, saddling customers with unnecessary costs.
T-Mobile is already the consumer king. T-Mobile is now the largest consumer carrier in the country. Unless Verizon executes a dramatic turnaround under Dan Schulman, T-Mobile is on a trajectory to become the number one carrier in total customers by the end of 2026.
Roger Entner, Analyst and Founder at Recon Analytics, November 2025
We saw this coming
Verizon was the largest carrier until a few days ago, but it had been losing customers, while T-Mobile had been adding subscribers. In Q3, T-Mobile gained 1 million new customers, while Verizon lost 7,000 postpaid customers. Thus, it was only a matter of time until Verizon lost its crown to T-Mobile.
Verizon is also going to pursue an automation-driven transformation, so we may see something similar from the company soon.
The online switching will make it more convenient for customers to switch, much like the previous termination of service contracts and the introduction of number port-out did.
This means that carriers can no longer rely on friction as a churn-reduction tool, nor can they coerce customers into buying accessories or the priciest plan by using aggressive sales tactics. Instead, they need to deliver value and allow customers to make an informed choice.
What will Verizon do?
Verizon's new CEO, Schulman, is on a mission to turn things around, but that doesn't mean price reduction yet. However, now that the company is laying off 13,000 employees and transforming 179 stores into franchised operations, it may have some financial room to lower rates and win back customers it lost to rivals to reclaim its lead.
Otherwise, T-Mobile will likely continue ascending further until it reaches a point where it will take years for Verizon to catch up.
We have asked T-Mobile for comment and will update the article if it gets back to us.
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