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Simple Mobile is back on top of Wave7 Research’s quarterly multi-carrier prepaid dealer survey after Ultra Mobile won the previous two editions. The Verizon-owned brand was found being activated at 26 of the 30 dealers surveyed in 2Q26, a five-store increase from the 1Q26 survey. Only four dealers did not report activating Simple Mobile.
Ultra Mobile remained a strong number two. It appeared at 21 dealers, down by one from the previous quarter. The latest result gives Simple Mobile 43 wins in the 46 surveys conducted since 1Q15. Ultra Mobile has won the other three.
Simple Mobile’s lead in availability was considerably larger than its advantage in the sales rankings. Nine dealers named Simple Mobile as their number-one seller, exactly the same number that ranked Ultra Mobile first. Simple Mobile received 10 second-place mentions compared to nine for Ultra Mobile. Altogether, 19 dealers ranked Simple Mobile among their top two sellers, while 18 did the same for Ultra Mobile.
Ultra Mobile’s smaller dealer footprint was also heavily concentrated among stores where it sold well. Twenty of the 21 dealers activating Ultra Mobile ranked it among their top three brands. Simple Mobile was a top-three seller at 21 of the 26 dealers where it was found.
Two California dealers reinforced the strength of both brands. One dealer activates six prepaid brands and another activates seven, but both said Simple Mobile and Ultra Mobile account for most of their stores’ activations.
2Q26 Prepaid Dealer Full Survey Results
The latest survey was conducted in May and June 2026. Representatives from 30 independent multi-carrier prepaid dealers in a variety of markets around the USA were interviewed. The full results of the survey are detailed below.
Note: The “number of dealers” column indicates the number of dealers out of 30 selling the brand. The “1st place” column denotes the number of dealers reporting the brand as their top seller, while “2nd place” etc., means the number of dealers reporting that as their second best-selling brand.
Top Selling Prepaid Brands In 2Q26 Wave7 Research Survey Of 30 Independent Dealers
| Provider | Number of Dealers | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | Also-Ran |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Mobile | 26 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 5 |
| Ultra Mobile | 21 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| Gen Mobile | 18 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 11 |
| Verizon Prepaid | 15 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| T-Mobile Prepaid | 14 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| H2O Wireless | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| AT&T Prepaid | 12 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Lyca Mobile | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Boost Mobile | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| MobileX | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Cricket Wireless | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Other Survey Winners
Gen Mobile made the biggest move outside of Simple Mobile, climbing from 15 dealer mentions in 1Q26 to 18 in the latest survey moving it into third place overall.
However, despite its climb in availability, only two dealers ranked Gen Mobile among their top two brands, while five placed it third and 11 classified it as an also-ran. Still, appearing at 60% of the stores surveyed represents a substantial presence in the independent dealer channel.
Verizon Prepaid moved ahead of T-Mobile Prepaid in total availability. Verizon Prepaid was found at 15 dealers, and eight of them ranked it among their top three sellers. T-Mobile Prepaid appeared at 14 stores, down from 19 in the previous survey. However, it remained a meaningful seller where it was available, earning nine top-three rankings and four first-place mentions.
H2O Wireless and AT&T Prepaid were each carried by 12 dealers. H2O Wireless declined from 15 mentions in 1Q26, while AT&T Prepaid increased slightly from 11.
Wave7 Research Momentum Award Winner
Not only did Simple Mobile win the survey, but Wave7 Research also gave the brand its Momentum Award for 2Q26. Its jump from 21 dealer mentions to 26 was the largest positive change recorded by any brand in the survey.
Dealer participation can vary somewhat from quarter to quarter based on which representatives are available to be interviewed. Even with that caveat, Simple Mobile’s move from the 20-21 dealer range in recent surveys to 26 this quarter stands out. The brand was also ranked as a top-two seller by 19 of the dealers surveyed.
Simple Mobile entered the quarter with a stronger product lineup than it had one year earlier. At the August 2025 All Wireless & Prepaid Expo, Verizon announced significant data increases and expanded international features for Simple Mobile. The changes gave its plans more high-speed data while broadening international calling, texting, and roaming benefits.
Gen Mobile received honorable mention for the Momentum Award after expanding to 18 dealers. However, its high number of also-ran rankings showed that the brand’s broader availability had not yet translated into the same sales strength seen with Simple Mobile and Ultra Mobile.
Survey Loser: Smaller Prepaid Brands
Smaller prepaid brands earned the dubious distinction of being named the survey loser. Only 11 prepaid providers received activation mentions in 2Q26, the lowest total in the survey’s history.
The results show an increasingly concentrated dealer channel. Of the 11 brands listed, only H2O Wireless, Lyca Mobile, and MobileX were not operated by one of the three national carriers or EchoStar. LinkUp Mobile, which made its survey debut in 1Q26, did not receive a mention this time. Surf USA Mobile has also appeared in recent surveys but was absent from the latest results.
H2O Wireless was still found at 12 dealers and has maintained a strong channel presence since the survey began in 2015. Lyca Mobile has appeared in every edition of the survey and was activated by seven dealers this quarter.
MobileX was also mentioned by seven dealers. The brand has now appeared at 7-9 stores in several consecutive surveys, suggesting it has established a foothold in the channel but has not recently expanded beyond that range. None of the seven dealers ranked MobileX among their top two sellers.
“Simple Mobile and Ultra Mobile are the Coke and Pepsi of the multi-carrier dealer channel. Not only are they the two brands most broadly activated, but reps report that these two brands are getting the lion’s share of activations. The other main finding from the 2Q26 survey is the lack of participation from independent MVNOs not affiliated with the national carriers or with EchoStar (Boost Mobile and Gen Mobile). H2O Wireless, MobileX, and Lyca Mobile all did well in the survey, but there were no mentions of any other independent MVNOs.” – Jeff Moore, Principal of Wave7 Research
Spectrum Is Becoming Part Of Some Dealers’ Core Business
Spectrum does not appear in the table because the Wave7 study is a prepaid wireless survey. However, the company continues to have a visible presence at some of the multi-carrier prepaid stores surveyed.
Spectrum signage was observed during the quarter, and one dealer who also activates Simple Mobile and Ultra Mobile described Spectrum as his store’s core business. A representative in the 1Q26 survey went even further and listed Spectrum as his top seller.
The observations show that prepaid wireless is not necessarily the only revenue source at every store participating in the survey. At least some independent dealers are also activating Spectrum broadband service alongside their prepaid offerings.
IMEI Problems And Dealer Support Affect Carrier Activations
Two dealers said they were reducing AT&T Prepaid activations because of problems involving device IMEI eligibility.
A Missouri dealer described cases in which a phone initially passed the activation process but was later disconnected because the device was not eligible for use on AT&T’s network. He cited AT&T-branded phones that had not been fully paid off as one example of a device that could run into trouble.
According to the rep, the same problem can affect Cricket activations, while phones activated through AT&T MVNOs do not encounter the issue in the same way. The comments represent the experiences reported by the dealers interviewed and do not indicate how frequently such cases occur across AT&T’s entire prepaid customer base. However, AT&T does maintain a whitelist of phones that it will allow onto its network and they do have a history of being difficult at times about activating phones not on the list.
Dealer support also appears to be influencing where some stores direct their activations. A California dealer said he has been activating Boost Mobile less frequently because of poor support for dealers. Boost did improve from four dealer mentions in 1Q26 to seven in the latest survey, but none of the stores ranked it as their number-one seller.
Another rep reported softer MobileX activations because of portal problems and customer-service delays. The same dealer said Gen Mobile tends to attract customers looking for international calling.
One survey participant was formerly a Total Wireless dealer but had converted the business into an independent multi-carrier store. That change highlights the tradeoff dealers face between the simplicity of concentrating on one brand and the flexibility of offering customers several prepaid options.