T-Mobile, the third largest wireless carrier, is expected to publish its Q2 2018 results in the coming days. In this note we provide a quick overview of what we will be watching - both in terms of subscriber metrics as well as any potential updates on the Sprint deal - when the company reports earnings. Further, our interactive dashboard analysis for T-Mobile outlines our valuation estimates and forecasts (and see more about how Trefis technology is used by CFOs, private equity firms and institutional investors).​  

What We Will Be Watching

While T-Mobile should continue to lead the industry in terms of postpaid phone net additions, its growth could slow year-over-year on account of mounting competition in the wireless market as well as increasing saturation in the wireless space. During Q1, the carrier added 617k new postpaid phone subscribers, marking a decline of 22% compared to last year. That said, T-Mobile has scope to continue to grow its postpaid base in the medium-term, driven by its deployment of low-band spectrum (which should help it improve coverage) and its move to expand its retail stores. Additionally, the company’s planned merger with Sprint could also help it drive subscriber adds, considering the stronger combined network footprint and significant cost synergies, which could be passed on to customers in terms of price cuts. The carrier has projected total postpaid net customer additions (phone and other devices) of between 2.6 and 3.3 million, for the full year.