VZ · 8-K · 20261026PR000049

Consumer Subscriber Trends

VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC · 2026-10-26 · Importance 45 · Surprise 64

Verizon added 406,000 postpaid phone customers in third-quarter 2026, up more than 820% year over year and its strongest third-quarter result in five years. Postpaid net account additions were 137,000, the company’s best quarterly result in over a decade, while postpaid phone churn improved 4 basis points to 0.94%. Verizon acquired nearly 1.7 million mobility and broadband subscribers in the first nine months of 2026, compared with 879,000 in the same period of 2025. Promotional acquisition costs declined 41% and retention costs declined 30% year over year; the company attributed its customer strategy to customer-first offerings and reduced reliance on heavy subsidies.

Key facts

• Verizon acquired nearly 1.7 million mobility and broadband subscribers in the first nine months of 2026, compared with 879,000 in the first nine months of 2025. source
• Verizon added 406,000 postpaid phone net additions in third-quarter 2026, more than 820.0 percent higher year over year and its strongest third-quarter performance in five years. source
• Verizon's wireless retail postpaid phone net additions were 406,000 in third-quarter 2026, compared with 44,000 in third-quarter 2025. source
• Verizon's promotional cost of acquisition decreased 41 percent year over year, and promotional cost of retention improved 30 percent year over year in third-quarter 2026. source
• Verizon had 94.517 million wireless retail postpaid phone connections as of September 30, 2026, up 1.4 percent from September 30, 2025. source
• Verizon's wireless retail postpaid ARPA was $168.08 in third-quarter 2026, down 1.9 percent year over year. source
• Verizon's wireless retail core prepaid ARPU was $33.51 in third-quarter 2026, up 2.5 percent year over year. source
• Verizon's wireless retail core prepaid churn was 3.80 percent in third-quarter 2026, compared with 3.73 percent in third-quarter 2025. source