T-Mobile doubles up, adds 8 million customers again in 2015

By David Curry Published January 6, 2016

T-Mobile has published its end-of-year highlights, which includes 8.3 million new customers in 2015. It is the second year in a row T-Mobile has hit 8 million, more than Sprint or Verizon.

The carrier added 2.1 million subscribers in the fourth quarter, bringing the total subscribers up to 63 million. That is 4 million higher than Sprint, but still less than half the total subscribers of Verizon and AT&T, at 137 million and 126 million, respectively.

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As T-Mobile keeps hammering home, its 4G LTE service is now available to over 300 million people in the United States. Compared to 2012 when chief executive John Legere first joined, there have been major improvements to the network, ensuring it can be used indoors and at busy areas.

Another talking point for T-Mobile in 2015 is the Un-Carrier features. Data Stash, Mobile without Borders, Jump on Demand, Music Freedom, and Binge On were all announced in the last 12 months, making Simple Choice plans a lot more interesting for new customers.

If that wasn’t enough to pique your interest in T-Mobile, the carrier also announced it would pay for early-termination fees (ETF) if you open a new plan. It has launched a handful of deals targeted at AT&T and Verizon customers throughout the year, to tempt customers away from their current carrier arrangement.

T-Mobile doesn’t mention revenue or profit in the end-of-year highlights. It reported $138 million in net profit in the third quarter, but analysts are concerned that the gung-ho attitude means losing out on a lot of potential income from subscribers.

We expect T-Mobile to focus on growing its brand even more in 2016, and fighting for that all important spectrum in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auction later in the year. It might face some negative press and punishment for its Binge On program, with YouTube and the EFF declaring the program to be in violation of the net neutrality laws put in place by the FCC in 2015.

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David has been writing about technology for several years, following the latest trends and covering the largest events. He is…

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