SummitX 2024: The State of the U.S. Wireless Retail Market

Research and commentary by Jeff Moore, Wave7 Research

The U.S. wireless retail market continues to evolve, with shifting trends in postpaid and prepaid stores, regional carrier store strategies, and the role of national retailers in the wireless space. 

At SummitX 2024, Jeff Moore of Wave7 Research — one of the U.S.’s leading experts in wireless retail, and organizer of the annual All Wireless and Prepaid Expo — took an engaged audience through the state of the brick-and-mortar wireless retail industry today, broken down by segment.

Tier 1 Carrier Postpaid Store Trends

The number of postpaid stores operated by Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile combined has steadily declined, falling from 18,529 in May 2022 to 17,607 in May 2024 (see graph below left). All three carriers are scaling back their retail footprints. 

Moore was quick to tell the SummitX audience that this is still a strong number. ​“Before anyone says that postpaid carrier retail is dead, just a quick reminder that there are 17,600 stores here,” he said. 

A significant portion of these stores are dealer-operated (see graph below right), with AT&T increasing its reliance on authorized retailers. T-Mobile has trended in the opposite direction, with nearly half its locations being corporate operated. Moore added, ​“T-mobile is trying to make more of their locations corporate stores because that’s their company philosophy.”

Verizon, meanwhile, has seen little change in the mix of corporate versus dealer locations.

Prepaid Store Shifts

Overall, prepaid store numbers have declined since 2022, due to continued reductions at Metro, Cricket, and Boost (see graph below left). However, there was an uptick of 114 locations between late 2023 and mid-2024, coming primarily from Total Wireless, which now boasts 1,000 stores.

Moore said, ​“I can tell you from the [All Wireless and Prepaid] Expo in Vegas two months ago that there’s a lot of work being done behind the scenes, as Verizon is investing in business, and the Total Wireless store count is going to get nothing but bigger and better. So, when we see this year that the number of prepaid stores is down, that’s not the whole story.”

Unlike postpaid stores, prepaid locations are exclusively dealer-operated, Moore added.

Cable Company Retail Presence

Cablecos, including the top four providers, operate approximately 1,500 retail locations (see graph above right). These stores have undergone significant upgrades, transforming former low-visibility service centers into modern spaces that prominently feature wireless offerings and bundle discounts.

Moore told SummitX delegates, ​“If I were talking to you 10 years ago, I would tell you that a lot of the cable stores are not exactly gleaming retail — they’re usually just an out-of-the-way place where you go to return your cable box, and the person behind the counter is probably half asleep. That is not the case anymore. Now, the stores are nice looking, they have phone deals, they’re staffed well, and they’re pitching wireless very heavily — in addition to, of course, their cable and internet services and other things. So, the cable companies have gotten into wireless retail in a very big way.”

The division of retail locations among the big cablecos breaks down as approximately 700 stores for Spectrum, more than 600 from Xfinity, and in the mid-100s for each of Optimum and Cox. However, as a proportion of overall wireless retail locations, the 1,500 stores run by cable providers still represents a small slice of the pie.

Regional Carrier Store Activity

Regional carriers remain an important part of the wireless retail landscape, albeit with relatively low store counts compared with the Tier 1 carriers. USCellular leads with 197 corporate stores and a total authorized retailer store count of 486.

Moore, ​“Most of you know that USCellular is said to be acquired by T Mobile, so we’re looking to some change happening in 2025. Maybe T-Mobile will seek to keep some of these stores open.”

In terms of smaller players, Cellcom operates 20 locations in Wisconsin, and C-Spire maintains 40-plus stores in Mississippi. Other regional players, such as Viaero Wireless and Carolina West Wireless, have smaller footprints. Consumer Cellular has expanded to 30 stores, and TruConnect now operates six corporate stores alongside kiosks

Moore added in his presentation, ​“I see Consumer Cellular as a poster child for MVNO success because they have really drilled out and focused on their market, which is delivering quality services with good customer service to older Americans. They have four million subscribers, so they’re doing very well. You may have seen the advertisements with Ted Danson.”

Multi-Carrier Dealer Stores

An estimated 7,000 multi-carrier dealer locations continue to play a vital role in the U.S. wireless retail market, offering services from brands like Simple Mobile, Ultra Mobile, and Verizon Prepaid. The nature of these stores varies widely, with some now selling Spectrum, AT&T postpaid, and MobileX services.

Moore said, ​“Honestly, these stores are all over the charts as to what they look like. Some are very focused on selling prepaid wireless — you’ll see a banner from Simple, or you’ll see something for Ultra, and it looks very much like a cellular store. Others will be selling you gas and chips and beer and cigarettes and, by the way, activating a few phones on the side.”

Moore said that his company, Wave7 Research, has consistently found Simple Mobile to be the leader in this space since 2015. ​“Our research has concluded that more than two-thirds of these 7,000-plus multi carrier tours are selling Simple Mobile.”

National Retail Wireless Trends

Walmart is increasingly prominent in wireless retail, with plans to add or expand 150 Supercenters by 2029. Of its 3,558 wireless retail locations, approximately 2,900 are now run by third-party operators such as OSL. A recent trend has been the promotion of free phones with in-store activations.

Moore observed, ​“Walmart has a very focused strategy, they’re pursuing it aggressively, and we really think that they’re winning market share. One way you can tell that is, when Straight Talk was acquired by Verizon, it had more than nine million subscribers — and where is Straight Talk sold? Only at Walmart.”

Best Buy appears to be contracting its wireless retail footprint, with 890 locations, and 10-15 store closures expected this year. Meanwhile, Costco, Sam’s Club, and Target are increasingly key players in wireless retail. 

Costco kiosks now represent individual carriers, such as T-Mobile or Verizon, while Sam’s Club primarily features T-Mobile. Target has embraced MarketSource reps, with Consumer Cellular leading sales at its stores.

Wireless Home Internet Sales: A Growing Focus

Perhaps in response to cablecos capturing some market share, wireless home internet is becoming a major focus for carriers in retail. T-Mobile Home Internet is now sold at nearly 13,000 stores, including T-Mobile and Metro locations, as well as Sam’s Club and Costco. Verizon Home Internet has a presence in Total Wireless stores, and Straight Talk Home Internet launched at nearly 2,000 Walmart locations in 2022. AT&T promotes its Internet Air service in stores, with a preference for pitching AT&T Fiber where available.

Moore said, ​“All you have to do is look at the numbers of T mobile and Verizon or reporting for home internet. It is such a simple solution. You just grab the router, it’s plug and play, and you can pay as little as $35 for Verizon. If you buy premium unlimited T-mobile, you can get it $40 a month, you can cut the cord with the cable company and maybe bundle this in with your wireless service. It can be a pretty good solution for a lot of people. Plus, T-Mobile has a solution that’s portable now. So if you’re an RV sort of person, you’re traveling, you’re a digital nomad, you can take this solution.”

Moore’s SummitX presentation demonstrated that the wireless retail market is adapting to shifting consumer demands and competitive pressures. Whether through consolidating store counts, upgrading retail spaces, or expanding into new internet services, the industry continues to evolve and will keep doing so in 2025.

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