Simple Mobile once again emerged as the top-selling prepaid carrier in the latest Wave7 Research multi-carrier prepaid dealer survey conducted in the second quarter of 2023. This is the 34th straight time that Simple Mobile has won the quarterly survey and it has won every survey conducted by the firm. Simple Mobile was available at 21 of the 30 independent multi-carrier prepaid dealers surveyed and was cited by 12 dealers as being among their top two sellers, up from eight in 1Q23.
Verizon Prepaid fell sharply. It was only carried by 10 dealers, down from 18 in the previous survey. It was a top two seller in four of the dealers down from nine in the last quarter. Verizon Prepaid performed so poorly in the survey, it earned the dubious distinction of claiming Wave7 Research's "Survey Loser" award.
Other notable findings from the survey include:
- Ultra Mobile and H2O Wireless continue to be strong performers
- Ultra Mobile displaced AT&T Prepaid as the number two seller
- Gen Mobile is gaining momentum and is a rising star in the prepaid market
- TracFone reappeared in the survey after being absent in the previous two
Full survey results are below.
1Q23 Prepaid Dealer Survey Results
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.
| Provider | Number of Dealers | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | Also-Ran |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Mobile | 21 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Ultra Mobile | 16 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| H2O Wireless | 14 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| AT&T Prepaid | 12 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Verizon Prepaid | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Gen Mobile | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Lycamobile | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Boost Mobile | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| T-Mobile Prepaid | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Cricket Wireless | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Selectel | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| UScellular | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TracFone | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Wave7 Research named Ultra Mobile and H2O Wireless as it others survey winners having finished in second and third place respectively. Ultra Mobile was available at 16 of the 30 dealers surveyed and was cited by 11 dealers as being among their top two sellers. H2O Wireless was available at 14 of the 30 dealers surveyed and was cited by 10 dealers as among their top three sellers. Both brands are worth keeping an eye on.
In March, T-Mobile agreed to acquire Ultra Mobile and Mint Mobile, pending regulatory approval. Ultra Mobile has 500,000 subscribers, and Mint Mobile has 2 million subscribers. An Ultra Mobile acquisition could have a significant impact on the brand in the prepaid multi-carrier dealer channel.
In late June, H2O Wireless made significant improvements to its plans by increasing data allotments, adding separate allotments of hotspot and faster-throttled data speeds. Earlier in the year, Canada and Mexico roaming credits were also added to plans. The plan improvements should help H2O Wireless maintain its market position if not gain more share in the channel.
Wave7 Research Quarterly Prepaid Brand Momentum Award
Wave7 Research gave Gen Mobile its Momentum Award. Gen Mobile has been steadily improving its performance in recent surveys, and has now broken into the double digits in terms of dealer mentions with ten. The company was also cited by four dealers as being among their top three sellers in the 2Q23 survey. Gen Mobile is owned by DISH.
“Simple Mobile has won the multi-carrier dealer survey again, although Ultra Mobile and H2O Wireless also did well in the survey. Gen Mobile also deserves mention, as one-third of dealers said that they are now selling Gen Mobile.”