Key figures at a glance
- ~25.8MT-Mobile total prepaid subscribers — Q1 2026 earnings (includes Metro + Mint)
- 19.3MVerizon total prepaid subscribers — Q1 2026 earnings (includes Straight Talk + Visible)
- 16.55MAT&T total prepaid subscribers — Q1 2026 earnings (includes Cricket)
- ~19MMetro by T-Mobile subscribers — Metro newsroom (2024)
- ~13–13.5MCricket Wireless subscribers — estimated from AT&T prepaid breakdown
- ~9–9.5MStraight Talk subscribers — industry estimate, Verizon MVNO
Data note: The Big 3 prepaid totals below are reported figures from official earnings materials. Most individual brand counts (Cricket, Straight Talk, Visible, US Mobile, Tello) are estimates derived from partial or legacy evidence — each is labeled accordingly.
Big 3 carrier prepaid subscriber counts (Q1 2026)
The three major carriers — T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T — control every wireless network in the United States. Every MVNO ultimately routes through one of these three networks. The Big 3 report total subscriber counts quarterly in earnings filings; they also break out postpaid vs. prepaid, which is where MVNO brands appear.
| Carrier | Total Prepaid Subscribers | Reporting Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | ~25.8 million | Q1 2026 | T-Mobile earnings report |
| Verizon | 19.3 million | Q1 2026 | Verizon earnings report |
| AT&T | 16.55 million | Q1 2026 | AT&T earnings report |
Prepaid subscriber counts include all prepaid brands owned by each carrier — MVNO sub-brands are not broken out separately in standard earnings filings.
A key contrast in Q1 2026: AT&T's prepaid base declined by 72,000 subscribers, which may reflect competitive pressure in the value prepaid segment. Verizon, by contrast, added 115,000 core prepaid net connections in the same quarter — with management citing Visible and Total Wireless as primary growth drivers.
MVNO brand subscriber counts: what we know
The Big 3 carriers generally don't break out subscriber counts by MVNO brand in their public filings — they only report the total prepaid line. The figures below are sourced from official carrier announcements, acquisition disclosures, and regulatory filings where available, supplemented by industry estimates where not.
Source confidence: ✅ Official — Metro by T-Mobile newsroom
Metro by T-Mobile is T-Mobile's flagship carrier-owned prepaid brand with approximately 19 million subscribers, per the Metro newsroom. MetroPCS merged with T-Mobile in 2013 and was later rebranded as Metro by T-Mobile. Today it operates as the largest prepaid brand in T-Mobile's portfolio, accounting for the majority of T-Mobile's total prepaid subscriber count.
Source confidence: ⚠️ Estimated — derived from AT&T Q1 2026 earnings
AT&T last disclosed a specific Cricket subscriber figure — 12.4 million — in 2021, before consolidating Cricket reporting into its total prepaid line. AT&T's total prepaid base was 16.55 million in Q1 2026. Based on historical AT&T reporting showing Cricket at approximately 80% of its prepaid base, Cricket is estimated at 13–13.5 million subscribers. AT&T Prepaid accounts for the remaining ~15–20%.
Source confidence: ⚠️ Estimated — industry analysis; Verizon reports TracFone total only
Straight Talk is owned by Verizon via its TracFone acquisition (completed February 2022). Verizon does not break out individual TracFone brand subscriber counts. Industry estimates place Straight Talk at 9–9.5 million subscribers, which would represent approximately 49% of Verizon's 19.3 million prepaid base. TracFone's portfolio also includes Total Wireless, Walmart Family Mobile, and other value brands.
Source confidence: ✅ Official — T-Mobile acquisition disclosure, May 2024
Mint Mobile had approximately 2.5 million subscribers when T-Mobile completed its acquisition in May 2024. T-Mobile has not published a separate Mint Mobile subscriber count since the acquisition closed; Mint is included in T-Mobile's total prepaid subscriber figure. Mint Mobile operates exclusively on the T-Mobile network and was acquired for approximately $1.35 billion.
Source confidence: ⚠️ Estimated — Verizon does not disclose Visible figures
Visible is Verizon's direct-to-consumer all-digital prepaid brand, launched in 2018 and fully owned by Verizon. Verizon does not disclose Visible's subscriber count separately in earnings reports — it is included in the 19.3 million total prepaid figure. Industry estimates place Visible at 1–2 million subscribers. Notably, Verizon management cited Visible as one of the primary contributors to the company's 115,000 core prepaid net additions in Q1 2026.
Source confidence: ⚠️ Partial official — CEO public statements
US Mobile is an independent MVNO that offers access to all three major networks (T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T) from a single account — a rare feature in the prepaid market. CEO Ahmed Khattak has publicly referenced subscriber counts in the range of 500,000 to 1 million active users. US Mobile does not file independent regulatory subscriber disclosures. Unlike Metro, Cricket, and Mint Mobile, US Mobile is not owned by a Big 3 carrier.
Source confidence: ⚠️ Milestone / Estimated — KeepCalling milestone (2020) + industry estimate
Tello's parent company KeepCalling officially announced the 100,000 subscriber milestone in April 2020. Tello has not published updated subscriber totals since that disclosure. Industry observers generally estimate continued growth since then — and since Tello migrated its network from Sprint to T-Mobile — placing current subscribers at 300,000 or more. Tello celebrated its 10th anniversary in May 2026 and is notable for flexible no-contract plans and free international calling to 60+ countries.
All carriers: subscriber count summary table
| Carrier | Network | Est. Subscribers | Data Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile (prepaid total) | T-Mobile | ~25.8M | Q1 2026 earnings | ✅ Official |
| Metro by T-Mobile | T-Mobile | ~19M | Metro newsroom | ✅ Official |
| Mint Mobile | T-Mobile | ~2.5M | Acquisition disclosure (May 2024) | ✅ Official |
| Verizon (prepaid total) | Verizon | 19.3M | Q1 2026 earnings | ✅ Official |
| Straight Talk | Verizon | ~9–9.5M | Industry estimate | ⚠️ Estimated |
| Visible | Verizon | ~1–2M | Industry estimate | ⚠️ Estimated |
| AT&T (prepaid total) | AT&T | 16.55M | Q1 2026 earnings | ✅ Official |
| Cricket Wireless | AT&T | ~13–13.5M | Derived from AT&T prepaid (est. 80%) | ⚠️ Estimated |
| US Mobile | T-Mobile / Verizon / AT&T | 500K–1M | CEO public statements | ⚠️ Partial |
| Tello | T-Mobile | 300K+ (est.) | KeepCalling milestone (100K in Apr 2020) + industry est. | ⚠️ Milestone / Est. |
Big 3 prepaid totals include all owned sub-brands and are not additive with individual brand figures. Confidence ratings reflect the quality of the underlying source data.
Why MVNO subscriber counts are hard to find
There's a straightforward reason why you can't easily Google "how many subscribers does Cricket have": carriers are not required to break out MVNO brand subscriber counts in regulatory filings. The FCC requires subscriber data reporting, but the Big 3 file consolidated totals. When AT&T acquired Leap Wireless (Cricket's predecessor) in 2014, Cricket subscriber counts appeared in earnings reports. Once Cricket was fully integrated into AT&T's prepaid business, separate reporting stopped.
The reporting gap
Sub-brands like Metro, Cricket, Visible, and Straight Talk are profitable distribution channels for the Big 3 — not separate regulated entities. Because they share spectrum, infrastructure, and balance sheets with their parent carrier, there's no regulatory requirement to file subscriber counts separately. This is why data on independent MVNOs (US Mobile, Tello) tends to come from press releases and CEO interviews rather than filings.
The exception is when a carrier is acquired: T-Mobile disclosed Mint Mobile's subscriber count because it had to file deal-related documents. Similarly, AT&T disclosed Cricket's count during the Leap Wireless acquisition period. Outside of M&A events, plan for low-confidence estimates on individual MVNO brand subscriber counts.
If you're comparing the biggest names in prepaid, our Mint Mobile vs. Visible comparison breaks down pricing, hotspot, and network priority side by side. For a deep dive on either carrier: Cricket Wireless review or Metro by T-Mobile review. New to the prepaid space? Start with what is an MVNO.
Methodology & source notes
Big 3 prepaid subscriber counts are sourced from carrier quarterly earnings reports: T-Mobile Q1 2026, Verizon Q1 2026, and AT&T Q1 2026. These are publicly filed figures available in investor relations documents and SEC filings.
Metro by T-Mobile's ~19M figure is sourced from the Metro by T-Mobile newsroom. Mint Mobile's ~2.5M figure was disclosed in T-Mobile's acquisition filing (deal closed May 2024). Tello's 100K milestone was officially announced by parent company KeepCalling in April 2020.
Cricket (~13–13.5M), Straight Talk (~9–9.5M), Visible (~1–2M), and US Mobile (500K–1M) are industry estimates. Cricket's estimate is derived from AT&T's Q1 2026 prepaid total using the historical ~80% Cricket share AT&T disclosed before discontinuing separate reporting in 2022. SwitchNinja does not have access to non-public carrier data. This page will be updated when new earnings data is published.
Frequently asked questions
How many subscribers does Cricket Wireless have?▼
Approximately 13–13.5 million, estimated from AT&T's Q1 2026 total prepaid count of 16.55 million. AT&T last disclosed a specific Cricket figure of 12.4 million in 2021 before discontinuing separate brand reporting. Cricket accounts for roughly 80% of AT&T's prepaid base based on historical disclosures.
How many subscribers does Metro by T-Mobile have?▼
Approximately 19 million, per the Metro by T-Mobile newsroom. Metro is T-Mobile's flagship carrier-owned prepaid brand and accounts for the largest share of T-Mobile's total prepaid subscriber base (~25.8 million as of Q1 2026).
How many subscribers does Mint Mobile have?▼
About 2.5 million at the time T-Mobile completed its acquisition in May 2024. T-Mobile no longer reports Mint subscriber counts separately after the acquisition closed — Mint is folded into T-Mobile's total prepaid figure.
How many subscribers does Visible have?▼
Visible doesn't disclose subscriber counts and Verizon doesn't break it out in earnings. Industry estimates place Visible at 1–2 million subscribers within Verizon's 19.3 million total prepaid base (Q1 2026). Verizon management cited Visible as a key driver of their 115,000 prepaid net additions in Q1 2026.
How many subscribers does US Mobile have?▼
An estimated 500,000 to 1 million based on CEO public statements. US Mobile is an independent MVNO — unlike Metro, Cricket, and Mint, it is not owned by a Big 3 carrier. It is the only prepaid provider that gives customers access to all three major networks (T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T) from a single account.
Why don't carriers disclose subscriber counts for individual brands like Cricket or Visible?▼
Because they're not required to. The FCC requires aggregate subscriber reporting, but carriers file consolidated prepaid totals — not brand-by-brand breakdowns. Sub-brands like Cricket, Visible, and Straight Talk share spectrum, infrastructure, and balance sheets with their parent carrier, so they're treated as internal distribution channels rather than separate regulated entities. Individual brand counts typically only surface during mergers and acquisitions, when deal documents require disclosure.
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