T-Mobile has officially overtaken Verizon as the largest wireless carrier in the United States by subscriber count, according to Roger Entner, founder and analyst at Recon Analytics.
T-Mobile Emerges as the Leading Carrier by Subscriber Base
T-Mobile now holds the highest number of household accounts nationwide. Unless Verizon's new CEO, Dan Schulman, orchestrates a significant and rapid transformation, T-Mobile is poised to become the largest carrier across all customer segments before the end of this year.
In a strategic move announced on November 20, T-Mobile introduced a feature on its T-Life app that enables AT&T and Verizon customers to switch their service to T-Mobile within just 15 minutes, without needing to visit a retail store. This innovation has removed a key barrier in the switching process, turning carrier changes into an impulsive and streamlined decision.
T-Mobile is firmly positioned as the leading consumer carrier in the country. Unless Verizon manages a dramatic turnaround, the industry expert predicts that T-Mobile will take the top spot in total customers by the end of 2026.
– Roger Entner, Founder and Analyst at Recon Analytics, November 2025
The Shift We Expected
Verizon was the nation's largest carrier until recently, however, it had been steadily losing subscribers while T-Mobile continued growing its customer base. In Q3 alone, T-Mobile added 1 million new customers, whereas Verizon saw a loss of 7,000 postpaid subscribers. These trends made the change in leadership inevitable.
By the end of Q3, T-Mobile reported 139.9 million connections whereas Verizon had 146.1 million wireless retail connections. Informal sources indicate Verizon continued to lose subscribers into Q4, with official Q4 results pending.
With T-Mobile digitizing and simplifying the account creation and switching processes, it has made it substantially easier for customers to transition swiftly from competing carriers.
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Verizon is also initiating an automation-driven transformation, which may soon produce similar customer experience improvements.
Public Sentiment on the Shift
Current results from 164 votes:
- Yeah, Verizon needed that jolt: 42.68%
- No, it will become more complacent now: 18.29%
- Yeah, it's good for competition: 39.02%
What Lies Ahead for Verizon?
Dan Schulman, the new CEO of Verizon, is determined to reverse the company’s fortunes but has not indicated any immediate plans to reduce prices. With recent moves to lay off 13,000 employees and convert 179 stores to franchised operations, Verizon may gain financial flexibility to lower rates and try to regain lost market share.
Meanwhile, T-Mobile appears set to continue growing, potentially making it increasingly difficult for Verizon to recapture the top position in the foreseeable future.
We have reached out to T-Mobile for comments and will update this article when we receive their response.
