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For the second time in a row, Ultra Mobile has won the latest Wave7 Research quarterly prepaid dealer survey conducted in 1Q26. The brand narrowly edged out Simple Mobile, marking just the third time in the survey’s history that Simple Mobile has failed to finish in the top spot. There have now been 45 surveys dating back to 1Q15, with Simple Mobile winning 42 of them.
Ultra Mobile was found being activated at 22 of the 30 dealers surveyed, up slightly from 21 of 30 in the 4Q25 survey. Simple Mobile was close behind, found at 21 dealers, up from 20 in the prior survey. The two brands were tied in terms of first-place activation mentions, with eight dealers naming each as their top seller. Ultra Mobile had the edge in second-place mentions, with nine compared to five for Simple Mobile.
Ultra Mobile's win may be tied to aggressive promos. During the survey, a California rep made upbeat comments about activations tied to an annual plan promotion. During the quarter, Ultra Mobile offered 50% off an uncapped unlimited annual data plan dropping its price to just $17/month as seen in this social media post from Solo Wireless. An annual plan double data offer was also available as seen in this post from Pioneer Mobile. Customers could get 25GB for $20/month instead of 12GB.
A Missouri rep said Simple Mobile was his store’s top seller because of its affordability, pointing to the brand’s $25/month plan as the top seller at his store.
1Q26 Prepaid Dealer Full Survey Results
The latest survey was conducted in February and March 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 1Q26 Wave7 Research Survey Of 30 Independent Dealers
| Provider | Number of Dealers | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | Also-Ran |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra Mobile | 22 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
| Simple Mobile | 21 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| T-Mobile Prepaid | 19 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| H2O Wireless | 15 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Gen Mobile | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Verizon Prepaid | 14 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| AT&T Prepaid | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| MobileX | 9 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Lyca Mobile | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Boost Mobile | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cricket | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| LinkUp | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Other Survey Winners
T-Mobile Prepaid was another winner in the survey. It took third place overall, with 19 of 30 dealers saying they were activating the brand. Six dealers said T-Mobile Prepaid was their top seller.
H2O Wireless, Gen Mobile, and Verizon Prepaid were also widely mentioned, with each brand appearing at 14 to 15 dealers.
Verizon Prepaid had a stronger first-place showing than its overall rank suggests, with four dealers naming it their top seller. A dealer in New York listed Verizon Prepaid as his store’s top seller, estimating about 60 Verizon Prepaid activations per month, compared to 50 for Simple Mobile and 35-40 per month for T-Mobile Prepaid.
Wave7 Research Momentum Award Winner
Wave7 Research gave T-Mobile Prepaid its Momentum Award for 1Q26. The brand was mentioned by 19 of 30 dealers, up from the 15-16 range seen in the previous survey.
MobileX received the Wave7 Momentum Award in 3Q25 and 4Q25. The brand was mentioned by nine dealers in the 1Q26 survey and has now been mentioned by 8-9 of 30 dealers in each of the last three surveys. That suggests MobileX has reached a plateau in the channel, with between one-fourth and one-third of dealers now citing MobileX activations.
New Brand In The Survey: LinkUp Mobile
LinkUp Mobile, operated by SurgePays, received activation mentions in the Wave7 dealer survey for the first time. Two dealers reported activating the brand, with one listing it as a second-place seller and one listing it as an also-ran.
The brand has been sold through convenience stores for some time and is now being sold through the multi-carrier dealer channel.
SurgePays is a publicly traded company. According to their 4Q25 earnings report they surpassed 100k subscribers and their distribution network exceeds 9k locations.
Survey Loser: Boost Mobile
Boost earned the dubious distinction of being named the survey loser. Only four of 30 reps mentioned Boost in the 1Q26 survey, down from 8-9 of 30 in recent surveys.
During the survey, a California dealer said he has not been receiving devices from his master dealer, so he has not been activating Boost. Instead, he has mostly been activating Verizon Prepaid, Simple Mobile, and T-Mobile Prepaid.
Boost advertising is also a fraction of what it used to be, and there has been inconsistency in which network the carrier uses between AT&T and T-Mobile. And the provider has decommissioned its native network thanks to the forced sale of its spectrum to AT&T.
“Ultra Mobile topped Simple Mobile by a nose in the survey, but the race between the two has been very close for a long time. Among carrier brands, T-Mobile Prepaid has gained – winning the Wave7 Momentum Award for 1Q26 -- while Verizon Prepaid and AT&T Prepaid have slipped. MobileX has been mentioned by 8-9 dealers in recent surveys, showing that it is now an established player in the channel. LinkUp Mobile was mentioned for the first time.” – Jeff Moore, Principal of Wave7 Research