Verizon Is Losing Subscribers Again

While there are only three major wireless providers in the United States, competition can be fierce. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) scored a win in the fourth quarter of last year with significant consumer phone subscriber gains, breaking a streak of lackluster results. However, the company's performance in the first quarter of 2025 indicates that subscriber growth at the end of 2024 was an anomaly.Verizon added 1.7 million consumer wireless retail postpaid phone subscribers in the first quarter on a gross basis, which doesn't account for churn. That's down 1% year over year. In terms of net adds, which does account for churn, that translates into a loss of 356,000 subscribers in the quarter.In the first quarter of 2024, Verizon shed 194,000 net consumer retail postpaid phone subscribers. It gained 367,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2024, but the first-quarter losses largely erased those gains. Verizon performed better in other areas. The company reported a small gain in business retail postpaid phone net adds, and it doubled its prepaid net adds from the fourth quarter. Ultimately, total wireless service revenue rose by 2.7% year over year.Continue reading

Apr 23, 2025 - 10:14

While there are only three major wireless providers in the United States, competition can be fierce. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) scored a win in the fourth quarter of last year with significant consumer phone subscriber gains, breaking a streak of lackluster results. However, the company's performance in the first quarter of 2025 indicates that subscriber growth at the end of 2024 was an anomaly.

Verizon added 1.7 million consumer wireless retail postpaid phone subscribers in the first quarter on a gross basis, which doesn't account for churn. That's down 1% year over year. In terms of net adds, which does account for churn, that translates into a loss of 356,000 subscribers in the quarter.

In the first quarter of 2024, Verizon shed 194,000 net consumer retail postpaid phone subscribers. It gained 367,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2024, but the first-quarter losses largely erased those gains. Verizon performed better in other areas. The company reported a small gain in business retail postpaid phone net adds, and it doubled its prepaid net adds from the fourth quarter. Ultimately, total wireless service revenue rose by 2.7% year over year.