Wolfe Research says T-Mobile’s “undisputed leader” status is fading as AT&T and Verizon improve postpaid value plans, cable companies push aggressive device promos, and SpaceX’s next-gen Starlink V3 satellites threaten T‑Mobile’s 5G home internet business. After migrating customers off legacy plans and raising prices, T‑Mobile has less room to squeeze ARPU, while rivals are forecasted to grow faster and potentially match T‑Mobile over the next four years. Dealers should treat

SpaceX reiterated on its Q2 2026 earnings call that it plans to build its own terrestrial network—without copying AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon. The idea: leverage existing Starlink dishes and EchoStar spectrum, potentially mounting femtocells onto Starlink terminals to create “micro cell towers,” plus satellites and limited terrestrial infrastructure

A Morningstar outlook says economic growth for the North American telecom market is still possible in 2026—good news for dealers if they sell what customers actually buy in “steady growth” years: practical upgrades, home internet, and business connectivity. The playbook is simple: target families who need reliable streaming/Wi‑Fi, SMBs that need uptime, and switchers frustrated by app-only support. Win with location-based fit checks, bill audits, and bundles (router/mesh, hot

T-Mobile has officially shut down its 2G GSM network—the last major US 2G holdout—meaning the original 2007 iPhone can no longer connect for voice service in the US. T-Mobile says it kept 2G running longer than AT&T (2G off in 2017) and Verizon (2G off in 2020) to avoid stranding remaining customers, including international travelers and legacy IoT devices. Dealers should treat this as a practical upgrade moment: identify any 2G-dependent phones, alarms, meters.

Verizon is bringing back its NFL Sunday Ticket promotion for the 2026 season, offering eligible customers a YouTube Sunday Ticket perk worth up to $480 through September 2. The deal is designed to drive upgrades to Verizon’s Unlimited Plus/Unlimited Ultimate plans and qualifying home internet (Fios, 5G Home, Verizon Home Internet—and even select Frontier Fiber tiers). Dealers can use this as a clean, seasonal reason to upgrade lines, add home internet, and attach high-margin

AT&T has closed a reported $23 billion spectrum deal with EchoStar, a major move that could strengthen AT&T’s 5G capacity and long-term network positioning. Spectrum is the “raw material” of wireless performance—more usable spectrum can translate into better speeds, more consistent service during congestion, and improved home internet viability in certain markets. Dealers should treat this as a credibility headline and prepare a simple “where will it improve first?” coverage

The US is pushing allies to align around 6G—signaling that the next wireless generation will be shaped as much by geopolitics and standards-setting as by pure technology. For dealers, the near-term impact isn’t “6G phones tomorrow.” It’s a roadmap story: spectrum planning, security requirements, and vendor ecosystems will influence future device availability, network upgrades, and enterprise connectivity. The best move now is educating business customers and positioning 5G/5G

New nationwide speed and performance testing for the first half of 2026 shows the Big 3 are all strong—just in different categories. Verizon and AT&T are tied for overall performance, network reliability, and text performance, while Verizon leads responsiveness, data, and video performance outright. T-Mobile remains the 5G availability leader and continues to post top-tier download speeds across most major cities.

T-Mobile says some customers still using 2G handsets will receive a final reminder Tuesday ahead of the carrier’s planned 2G GSM shutdown on August 3. T-Mobile has been notifying impacted users for over two years and offering select customers a free 5G phone to transition. For dealers, this is a last-call moment: identify 2G/legacy devices (especially business/IoT), migrate lines, and prevent “my phone stopped working” walk-ins.

An Ookla report comparing 86 operators in 22 markets says the Big Three US carriers aren’t ready for next‑gen AI experiences—mainly due to latency under load and weak upload performance. T‑Mobile leads in the US (median upload ~13.94 Mbps) ahead of Verizon (~13.43 Mbps) and AT&T (~9.0 Mbps), but no market hits the sub‑10 ms latency needed for AR/multimodal AI. Dealers should reframe “5G speed” into real-world AI use cases.

Upper C-Band auction news showing T-Mobile Verizon AT&T wordmarks about FCC July 22 vote and 5G coverage

FCC plans an Upper C-Band auction of 160 MHz (3.98–4.14 GHz) used for ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC distribution, expanding mid-band 5G with deployment starting late 2030.

The FCC says the AWS-3 spectrum auction—the first in four years—wrapped after 72 rounds, generating over $3.5B across 200 licenses. Seventeen bidders participated, including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, EchoStar, and SpaceX. The licenses cover 1695–1710 MHz, 1755–1780 MHz, and 2155–2180 MHz, including major markets like Boston, New York, and Chicago, and are expected to boost 5G capacity. Analysts expect the Big Three to win most licenses, while SpaceX may be positioning for futu

A new report highlights T-Mobile’s 5G advantage, pointing to bandwidth/spectrum strategy that’s delivering much faster downloads—about 485 Mbps vs under 300 Mbps for AT&T and Verizon. A poll tied to the report suggests nearly 40% of respondents are now considering switching to T-Mobile. Dealers should use this as a “speed proof” opener, but still run a location-based coverage check and set expectations that speeds vary by market.

AT&T 5G for EVs EV owners happy boost 5G connectivity wireless dealers EV connectivity fit check in-car Wi-Fi hotspot setup embedded modem phone hotspot routes dead zones data needs road trip power bundle

Verizon stadium antennas under seats for FIFA aim to boost in-stadium 5G. Dealers can sell event-ready setups, hotspots, and power bundles.

When T-Mobile downplays the one area where AT&T and Verizon are winning, customers hear: “So who has better coverage where I live?” Dealers should avoid carrier arguments and run a Coverage Confidence Check: home/work/commute dead zones, indoor vs outdoor, peak-time congestion, and device capability.

New 6G spectrum studies in the U.S. will spark customer questions like “Should I wait for 6G?” Dealers should keep it simple: studies are early-stage planning, not a consumer launch. The dealer win is to future-proof customers now with 5G performance (right device + plan) and reliable connectivity (mesh Wi‑Fi, hotspot/backup). For business accounts, position “6G-ready thinking” as better network resilience today: multi-carrier options, failover internet, and device lifecycle

Verizon portable private 5G network deployments for big fan events show a clear trend: when connectivity matters, organizations want control, reliability, and capacity—especially in crowded venues. Dealers can use this story to start higher-value conversations with businesses and event-heavy customers: “What happens if your internet fails during your busiest hours?” Use a simple Private Network Readiness Check to qualify needs, then position backup connectivity, hotspots/rout

Verizon 50 terabytes mobile data per 90 minutes is a loud signal: stadium season is a stress test for networks and phones. Customers want to post, stream, message, and find friends in packed venues—then get frustrated when speeds drop or batteries die. Dealers can win with an Event Readiness Check: confirm the customer’s device, power plan, and expectations, then bundle the essentials (power bank, fast charger, rugged case) and recommend backup connectivity options where appr