Verizon is one of the most popular wireless network carriers in the United States. However, do you know other important details about the company, including what other networks it owns, such as Sprint?
If you’ve been curious about this, keep reading to learn the answer to this question, as well as other related facts!
Does Verizon Own Sprint In 2024?
Verizon doesn’t own Sprint, although both Sprint and Verizon operate under a CDMA network as of 2024. Verizon has made several mergers and acquisitions through the years, such as Alltel and Yahoo, and recently acquired Tracfone and the Tracfone family of devices in late 2021. However, Verizon has no plans to pursue Sprint at this time.
Do you want to learn more about Verizon, such as whether the company owns any other mobile brands or other related questions? If so, keep reading for more facts and information!
Who Owns Sprint?
Sprint was acquired by T-Mobile in 2020 after a lengthy court battle, which merged the two companies, which were the third and fourth-biggest wireless carriers in the United States.
However, T-Mobile acquiring Sprint (which brings together 140 million subscribers) still means that T-Mobile is behind Verizon and AT&T in the wireless carrier wars.
Are Verizon and Sprint the Same?
Verizon and Sprint are not the same, but they do offer high-quality cell phone plans to customers all over the world. Both are the biggest brands and most popular in the mobile market.
Additionally, both companies operate under an identical radio network called CDMA, which means you can transfer a Sprint phone to Verizon.
However, if you’d like to move your Sprint phone to Verizon, you must ensure your device is unlocked for it to work properly even though they’re both CDMA networks.
Is Sprint Better Than Verizon?
Sprint is not better than Verizon overall, because Verizon offers coverage almost anywhere in the United States, including in rural areas, which is something that Sprint cannot compete with.
The reliability and coverage of Verizon makes it the best choice for most people, especially outside of bigger cities or for those that work from home.
Verizon also is known for excellent customer service, while Sprint has some of the worst customer service ratings out of all major providers.
However, Sprint does beat Verizon when it comes to the cost of cell plans, offering free data and texting internationally, which offers significant savings for those who travel regularly.
In contrast, Verizon requires that you purchase a TravelPass to use your phone internationally, which could cost between $5 to $10 a day if you use your phone outside of the United States.
Additionally, Sprint offers benefits for Unlimited subscribers, such as Amazon Prime if you’re on the Premium Unlimited plan.
Sprint also offers customers free data and texting in over 100 international locations with an unlimited cell phone plan, along with a free Hulu subscription!
Finally, Sprint will give Unlimited Plus customers Tidal for free, providing you with music and video subscription perks on Sprint that Verizon doesn’t offer.
Who is Verizon’s Parent Company?
Verizon’s parent company is Verizon Communications, which means that Verizon Wireless is a wholly-owned subsidiary.
Verizon Communications was formed in June 2000 after the merger of GTE Corporation and Bell Atlantic Corporation.
What Brands are Owned by Verizon?
Verizon has made a lot of mergers and acquisitions over the years, including the most recent acquisition of Tracfone Wireless and the family of brands under Tracfone.
Some of the new brands that are now part of Verizon include the following:
- Tracfone
- Net10
- SafeLink
- Straight Talk Wireless
- Total Wireless
- Simple Mobile
- Family Mobile
In addition to that, Verizon has previously acquired the brands listed below:
- GTE
- Verizon Avenue
- Yahoo
- Vessel
- Straight Path Communications
- LQD WiFi
- Sensity Systems
- FleetMatics
- XO Communications
- Telogis
- Complex
- Volicon
- EdgeCast Networks
- AOL
- UpLynk
- Cloud Switch
- Alltel
- Qwest Wireless Spectrum
- Inceptor Incorporated
- Terremark Worldwide
Will Verizon Buy Sprint?
Considering that Sprint was acquired by T-Mobile, it seems highly unlikely Verizon will buy Sprint or pursue any merger with Sprint or T-Mobile.
However, it’s impossible to know what the future holds and anything can happen in the business world with mergers and acquisitions.
So, while it’s highly unlikely, it’s not out of the question.
Is Sprint as Big as Verizon?
Sprint had 54.3 million customers before it merged with T-Mobile, and T-Mobile ended 2020 with 102.1 million customers, with 5.6 million additional customers added in 2020.
Verizon has 121.3 million subscribers, so it’s much bigger than Sprint and even bigger than T-Mobile and Sprint combined, so Verizon will likely stay on top of Sprint in customer count.
However, since Sprint has merged with T-Mobile, it’s looking like Sprint will become a leader in the 5G market and is going head-to-head with Verizon in 5G coverage.
It’s unknown at this point whether Sprint will become as big as Verizon in overall coverage and 5G services.
Furthermore, it’s going to be an interesting competition to watch over the coming years!
If you want to know more, you can also see our posts on whether or not Verizon charges for hotspot, if Verizon owns Comcast, and why is Verizon down.
Conclusion
Verizon doesn’t own Sprint or vice versa, but both mobile carriers run on a CDMA network and offer similar cell phone services to customers.
Verizon acquired Tracfone and all related Tracfone brands, whereas Sprint was acquired by T-Mobile and is looking to edge out Verizon in the 5G market.
However, Verizon is significantly bigger than Sprint in customer count, coverage, reliability, and customer service.