Grading the top 10 U.S. carriers in the fourth quarter of 2009
The following charts the top 10 U.S. wireless carriers in the fourth quarter of 2009 by subscriber base, according to research firm Strategy Analytics, and includes major metrics--such as churn, ARPU and revenue--of each carrier. The subscriber figures include both retail and wholesale customers.
This list does not include resellers or MVNOs, such as Virgin Mobile USA or TracFone Wireless.
And don't forget to see how these figures stack up against first quarter, second quarter, and third quarter 2009 figures.
Finally, make sure to check these summaries of the wireless industry's performance in the fourth quarter and the world's handset makers' performance in the fourth quarter.
| Rank (# Subscribers) |
Carrier | Subscribers (millions) | Net Adds (millions) | Churn (Avg Monthly) |
Service Revenue (US $millions) |
Data % of Service Revenue | ARPU |
| 1 | Verizon Wireless | 91.249 | 2.216 | 1.42% | $13,548 | 31.9% | $50.23 |
| 2 | AT&T | 85.120 | 2.661 | 1.44% | $12,607 | 30.7% | $50.69 |
| 3 | Sprint Nextel* | 47.900 | -0.148 | 2.91% | $6,239 | 35.7% | $46.91 |
| 4 | T-Mobile USA | 33.790 | 0.371 | 3.30% | $4,720 | 21.8% | $46.82 |
| 5 | MetroPCS | 6.640 | 0.317 | 5.30% | $825 | n/a | $40.70 |
| 6 | US Cellular | 6.141 | 0.010 | 2.11% | $986 | 19.3% | $53.55 |
| 7 | Leap Wireless | 4.954 | 0.299 | 4.7% | $547 | n/a | $38.66 |
| 8 | iPCS | Was #8 with .730 M subs; acquired by Sprint Nextel during quarter | |||||
| 9 | Cincinnati Bell | 0.533 | -0.003 | 3.4% | $70 | 23.8% | $43.15 |
| 10 | Ntelos | 0.439 | 0.000 | 3.4% | $96 | 19.1% | $51.48 |
| *Sprint Nextel subscribers and net adds excluding estimated number of affiliate subscribers, but including wholesale; service revenues excluding wholesale and affiliate; iPCS acquisition in quarter; Virgin Wireless acquisition = shift subs from wholesale to retail Source: Strategy Analytics, based on carrier reports |
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