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Simple Mobile once again leads Wave7 Research’s quarterly prepaid dealer survey for 3Q25, narrowly ahead of Ultra Mobile. This marks the firm’s 43rd survey, with Simple Mobile winning 42 of them. Ultra Mobile remains the only other provider to have ever claimed the top spot, doing so in 1Q24.
Simple Mobile was found at 21 of the 30 dealers surveyed, unchanged from 2Q25. Ultra Mobile appeared at 19 stores, down one from the prior quarter.
3Q25 Prepaid Dealer Full Survey Results
The survey was conducted in August and September 2025, with Wave7 Research interviewing representatives from 30 independent multi-carrier prepaid dealers across various U.S. markets.
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 3Q25 Wave7 Research Survey Of 30 Independent Dealers
| Provider | Number of Dealers | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | Also-Ran |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Mobile | 21 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
| Ultra Mobile | 19 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 7 |
| Verizon Prepaid | 18 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| T-Mobile Prepaid | 16 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Gen Mobile | 16 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
| H2O Wireless | 15 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Boost Mobile | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| MobileX | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Lyca Mobile | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| AT&T Prepaid | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Cricket Wireless | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Wave7 Research Momentum Award Winner
Wave7 Research gave its Momentum Award to MobileX which is experiencing explosive growth in the dealer channel. MobileX expanded its presence from just two dealers in the previous survey to nine in the current one. For the first time, dealers reported MobileX among their top sellers — ranking #1 at one store, #2 at another, and #3 at a third.
MobileX's rise in the channel is not surprising. The MVNO has taken an aggressive approach to use it as an avenue for growth.
MobileX first announced its intentions to launch in the channel in February, 2024. Since then, it has taken numerous steps to expand its distribution there. At the August 2024 All Wireless & Prepaid Expo, the brand announced enhancements to its dealer network with new mobile devices, streamlined payments and activations, and a broader master agent portfolio. That announcement was followed up by an additional one in March 2025 with the appointment of Jason Biado and his 30 years of industry experience as Senior Vice President of Distribution. Biado was brought on board to "lead the strategic direction and operations for MobileX's wholesale, master agent and dealer channels," and to further accelerate "the company's growth in the independent wireless dealer space."
At the August 2025 All Wireless and Prepaid Expo, MobileX announced that it was further expanding its independent dealer network though new partnerships with master agents Orion Mobile, B2B Mobile, Modern Wireless, and AH Prepaid. And most recently, in September 2025, they announced that they were joining the National Wireless Independent Dealer Association (NWIDA).
“Simple Mobile won the survey again, with Ultra Mobile in second place. Both brands improved their plans in 3Q25 and both continue to execute well in the multi-carrier dealer channel. We knew that MobileX has been working to gain distribution, but it was still a surprise that 9 of 30 dealers said that they were activating MobileX.” – Jeff Moore, Principal of Wave7 Research
AT&T Prepaid Declines in Dealer Channel
AT&T Prepaid earned the dubious distinction of being named survey loser. The brand fell from mentions by 17 of 32 reps in 1Q25 to 12 of 30 in 2Q25 and then to 8 of 30 in the 3Q25 survey. Wave7 Research believes AT&T is not putting nearly the same energy into the multi-carrier dealer channel as rivals Verizon and T-Mobile. Notably, the firm has observed that there seems to be less social media activity by AT&T Prepaid master dealers than is the case with some master dealers used by Verizon and T-Mobile.
Dealer Traffic Affected by Illegal Immigrant Crackdown
The crackdown on illegal immigration has impacted the business of some wireless dealers. A few dealers stated to Wave7 Research that it has led to a negative impact to sales, due in part to reduced store traffic. Others commented that parents are sending their kids to stores to make plan payments. One dealer noted that he cannot upsell to kids. The same dealer observed that previously 20% of plan payments were made in cash, but that number has increased to 70%.