T-Mobile just unraveled Verizon's case against it

Verizon sued T-Mobile earlier this month for exaggerating the amount that customers of rival companies can save by switching to it. T-Mobile has responded to the lawsuit, not only holding its ground but also pointing out a fallacy in Verizon's argument.

The beef continues

The dispute centers on T-Mobile's claim that AT&T and Verizon customers can save over $1,000 per year by moving lines to T-Mobile's Better Value plan.

Verizon labelled the claim as misleading and escalated the matter to watchdog BBB National Programs' National Advertising Review Board (NARB). While the NARB mostly sided with Verizon, T-Mobile's refusal to fully comply prompted Verizon to file a complaint in Manhattan federal court.

T-Mobile has asked the court to deny Verizon's request to make T-Mobile halt its promotional campaign. The Un-carrier presents plenty of reasons to back its request.

For starters, T-Mobile insists that Verizon cannot prove that its customers fail to save more than $1,000 a year by switching to T-Mobile.

More damaging is T-Mobile's claim that Verizon ran a similar "Save up to $420/yr." campaign that included just the kind of disclaimer that the company is chiding T-Mobile for. The campaign was supported by a savings calculator that Verizon conveniently removed from its website shortly before suing T-Mobile. In short, T-Mobile claims that Verizon engaged in the very behaviour that it now finds faulty in T-Mobile.

T-Mobile also says that Verizon has failed to prove that its campaign materially harmed it, with T-Mobile's own data also not showing that the promotion fueled switching from Verizon.

T-Mobile has also challenged Verizon's accusation about "actual and imminent" harm, claiming it has had the savings messaging since 2024, but Verizon took a long time to go to court.

The company has also dissed Verizon for countering its own claim of being a premium network for which customers don't mind paying more, while simultaneously being threatened by T-Mobile's savings claims.

Uncertain times

The telecom industry has become insanely competitive, with fewer new subscribers to compete for and new affordable options in the form of MVNOs and cable companies. Churn rose for the Big Three in Q4 2025, which explains why T-Mobile and Verizon want to guard their turf and poach rival customers.

Verizon argues that T-Mobile implies customers can save more on core wireless services by switching, without making it abundantly clear that the value of digital bundles and satellite service is included in the calculations. Verizon also accused T-Mobile of underemphasising the value it offers.

T-Mobile took that as an admission from Verizon that its customers can indeed save real money by switching.

Bottom line

Customers have come to expect bundled services from carriers, but may not necessarily take that into account when viewing a promotional campaign. So while T-Mobile isn't misleading customers, Verizon has seized the opportunity to accuse it of deceiving customers, despite not being alien to the very practices it's denouncing.