Wireless carrier/operator subscriber share in the U.S. 2011-2024, by quarter

The telecommunications firm Verizon is the leading provider of mobile services in the United States, with a market share of about over 37 percent of wireless subscriptions as of the first quarter of 2024. T-Mobile and AT&T are the other major wireless carriers in the U.S. market.  The market share is based on subscription figures reported by the companies in quarterly earnings and financial statements. Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) subscriptions were not considered for the statistic.

Seismic shift: T-Mobile and Sprint Merger

T-Mobile’s 26.5 billion U.S. dollar acquisition of Sprint Corp. became official on 1st April 2020, a merger that temporarily reduced the number of major wireless providers in the United States. Under the terms of the merger, T-Mobile acquired Sprint’s 33.84 million postpaid subscribers, joining the 47 million T-Mobile postpaid wireless subscribers. DISH Network Corporation acquired Sprint’s prepaid mobile business, Boost Mobile, raising that number to four, satisfying the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) that the market would remain competitive. 

T-Mobile is the largest U.S. telco by market cap

As of 2024, T-Mobile had a market capitalization of over 190 billion U.S. dollars, the highest of any U.S. telecommunications company. Beijing-based China Mobile and U.S. giant Comcast trailed, with a market cap of 183 and 171 billion U.S. dollars, respectively. Verizon and AT&T were valued at 164 and 117 billion U.S. dollars, respectively.