When it comes to mobile networks in the US, it’s difficult to have a conversation without mentioning Verizon, as they – along with AT&T – rule the roost. Today, Verizon has formally announced their figures for Q2 of 2015, and by all accounts things are positive, but it’s clear that T-Mobile has bought the fight to Big Red. The headlining figures are that Verizon added 1.1 Million postpaid subscribers in the quarter, and a 5.3% year-on-year improvement of total revenues. Where Verizon seemed to enjoy growth however might surprise you, and it’s clear that the T-Mobile factor is taking hold, even if Verizon is still leading the pack with excellent figures and steady growth.
Verizon have managed to reduce the amount of people leaving their network to just 0.9% which is the company’s lowest in three years. 852,000 tablets were added to Verizon’s figures for Q2 2015, which is fairly impressive for any wireless carrier as tablet sales seem to be on pause elsewhere. 4G LTE smartphones and tablets now make up for 73% or so of Verizon’s postpaid subscribers, while their LTE network carried 87% or so of all wireless traffic in Q2. Speaking of their network, Verizon’s CFO Fran Shammo detailed that “in the first half of this year, we invested approximately $18 billion in spectrum licenses and capital for future network capacity. We also invested more than $4 billion to acquire new capabilities with the AOL transaction, which supports our longer-term video strategy.”
The full figures can be found below, but it’s clear that Verizon has gotten something right this quarter. With their lowest churn rate (people leaving the network) in three years, and a steady improvement in tablet adds, things are looking good. However, despite Verizon distributing $9 Billion throughout their shareholders and holding on to more customers, the addition of 1.1 Million postpaid subscribers pales in comparison to the 2.2 Million that T-Mobile welcomed to their network. The Q3 figures will be interesting to see, as T-mobile continues to add incentive after incentive to attract new custom. Plus, Sprint’s “All-in” plans should have taken effect by then, but for now it looks like there aren’t any dents in Verizon’s armor, just a few chinks here and there.