This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Verizon doesn't just need to fend off T-Mobile and AT&T, but a slew of smaller rivals (and partners) as well. | Image by PhoneArena
When the FCC approved the $26 billion union between T-Mobile and Sprint in 2019, the newly created wireless service giant promised the deal would benefit competition and innovation in the industry, while rivals warned of the opposite. Nearly seven years later and after several failed attempts at lifting its 5G network off the ground from the company that was supposed to become the market's fourth big player, it's still hard to find many users satisfied with their Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile experience.
But as unlikely as it now is always has been to see Dish assume Sprint or T-Mo's role of rising mobile network underdog from a decade or so ago, a new threat for the top three carriers has emerged... from the inside over the last few years. And it seems that more and more consumers are paying close attention to this new type of wireless offering (which is not actually new), as proven (for the umpteenth time) by a recent PhoneArena poll.
Could a "smaller carrier" break into the mainstream soon?
As I told you right off the bat when discussing the latest Opensignal study pitting Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Xfinity, and Spectrum against one another in terms of network performance, it's not entirely fair to lump those five brands into the same comparison.
Xfinity Mobile looks like it could become a force to be reckoned with... someday. | Image by Comcast
That's because Verizon, for instance, has an official tally of almost 150 million wireless retail connections across the nation, while Xfinity Mobile has barely cracked the 7 million subscriber mark a couple of years back.
But whether we're talking about the two prepaid operators evaluated in these speed and reliability tests alongside the industry veterans or other smaller brands like Metro by T-Mobile, Cricket Wireless, Boost Mobile, Mint Mobile, or Visible, it's crystal clear that many of you see this category as a solid alternative to "traditional" postpaid service from the "Big Three."
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Have you ever thought of opting for a smaller carrier like Xfinity Mobile?
How many? Well, almost a quarter of those who responded to our survey from last week are apparently already on a so-called "smaller" carrier, with another quarter exploring the possibility of such a move in the near future, and close to 13 percent of respondents looking set to ditch their current major wireless service provider in favor of a minor player.
If you put those numbers together, you get almost 60 percent, which seems to suggest a fourth force could rise at any point from this second division of mobile network operators and not just threaten but possibly overtake Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T.
It's obviously not that simple
And the reason why the likes of Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, or Metro by T-Mobile can't capitalize on this attention they're receiving from you at its true apparent potential is pretty simple... and found in the latter's name.
Xfinity's triumph in this report couldn't have been possible without Verizon's help. | Image by Opensignal
These companies and brands don't use their own network infrastructure to deliver a wireless signal, instead relying 100 percent on the properties of, you guessed it, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T. As such, you may not give the middle finger you think you are to Verizon when you switch to Xfinity Mobile, and the latter's impressive results in Opensignal's testing between January 1 and March 31, 2026 are in big part owed to Big Red.
The landscape is also far too fragmented for a fourth big player to emerge from this group
In addition to the seven names of prepaid operators already mentioned in today's article, I'm sure many of you have heard of one or several of the following as well: Straight Talk, Google Fi, Consumer Cellular, Simple Mobile, Ting, Total Wireless, Ultra Mobile, and yes, Trump Mobile.
What do you think is the best "small" carrier in the US?
Even assuming each of these small carriers only caters to a few hundred thousand people (although some are far more likely to have customer portfolios in the millions), that's still way too many options that can frustrate users to a point where they'd rather stick with what they know.
Of course, competition is generally good, but I believe there is such a thing as too much competition, and this is one of the key reasons why the likes of Xfinity Mobile, Mint, and Visible are perhaps not growing at the pace one might expect based on their very aggressively priced plans and typically reliable service.
So is this a problem or not for Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint?
I think it is, and the core of the problem has a lot to do with brand recognition or reputation. Even though Xfinity Mobile uses Verizon's network, any report ranking the former ahead of the latter in speeds is guaranteed to damage Verizon's name. As long as Xfinity Mobile stays under 10 million subscribers, that may not sound like a very big issue for Big Red, but if the number starts to grow and Verizon's customer figures go down, the industry leader might begin to feel some pressure from stockholders.
For the time being, T-Mobile's brand reputation is mostly intact. | Image by PhoneArena
It's also important to remember that not all of these "smaller" carriers are built the same, and while Metro by T-Mobile is no threat to its parent company for fairly obvious reasons, Xfinity Mobile could always get a big marketing push from its own parent company, which just so happens to be a top two cable and broadband provider in the US... alongside Spectrum.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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