Benzinga | Jan 6, 2022 04:01PM EST

T-Mobile Announces 315K Postpaid Account Net Additions On Q4, 1.8M Postpaid Net Customer Additions

Un-carrier Further Extends Unrivaled Lead with America's Only Standalone 5G Network, Delivering Game-Changing Ultra Capacity 5G to Over 210 Million People Nationwide

Preliminary Fourth Quarter Postpaid Customer and Account Net Additions Expected to Lead the Industry(1)

* 315 thousand postpaid account net additions, expected best in industry and highest Q4 in last four years

* 1.8 million postpaid net customer additions, expected best in industry and highest Q4 in company history

* 844 thousand postpaid phone net customer additions, increased year-over-year

* 224 thousand High Speed Internet net customer additions, best quarter since launch

Preliminary Full-Year Results Highlighted by Record-High Postpaid Customer and Account Net Additions

* 1.2 million postpaid account net additions, more than doubled year-over-year

* 5.5 million postpaid net customer additions, highest annual number in company history

* 2.9 million postpaid phone net customer additions, increased 32% year-over-year

* 546 thousand High Speed Internet net customer additions, ending the year with 646 thousand customers

America's Largest, Fastest and Most Reliable 5G Network Further Extends its Lead

* Ultra Capacity 5G covers over 210 million people nationwide and can deliver game-changing speeds of 400 Mbps or more

* Extended Range 5G covers over 310 million people, reaching 94% of Americans

* A dozen independent third-party network benchmarking reports in 2021 show T-Mobile is number one in nationwide 5G speed and availability

(1) Based on industry consensus expectations. AT&T Inc. historically does not disclose postpaid account net additions.

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ:TMUS) provided a preliminary view of key customer results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2021, including its highest postpaid net customer additions and postpaid account net additions in company history for full-year 2021. Postpaid net customer additions of 5.5 million for full-year 2021 exceeded the high end of the company's annual guidance range and are expected to lead the industry for the 7th consecutive year, based on industry consensus expectations. In the fourth quarter, T-Mobile reported 1.8 million postpaid net customer additions, its highest fourth quarter in company history, and 315 thousand postpaid account net additions, the highest fourth quarter in the last four years.

"It is undeniable that T-Mobile's unmatched best value, network and experience combination resonates with consumers and businesses when it results in record-setting net adds of 1.2 million postpaid accounts and 5.5 million postpaid customers in 2021, even as we continued to navigate Sprint churn during our accelerated integration," said Mike Sievert, T-Mobile CEO. "And our 5G leadership continues to be unrivaled on every level. We are crushing our network build out goals. Our nationwide Ultra Capacity 5G and our Extended Range 5G expansion is way ahead of schedule and we aren't slowing down. We're way out ahead of the pack today creating the foundation for transformational 5G experiences that will define the future for years to come and consumers will benefit."

Consistent and Strong Customer Growth

* Postpaid account net additions were 315 thousand in Q4 2021, the highest Q4 in four years and reached a record 1.2 million for the full year 2021, more than doubled year-over-year.

* Net customer additions were 1.8 million in Q4 2021 and 5.8 million for the full year 2021, the highest annual number in five years. The total customer count increased to a record-high of 108.7 million.

* Postpaid net customer additions were 1.8 million in Q4 2021 and 5.5 million for the full year 2021, which exceeded the company's most recent annual guidance range of 5.1 to 5.3 million.

* Postpaid phone net customer additions were 844 thousand in Q4 2021 and 2.9 million for the full year 2021. Postpaid phone churn was 1.10% in Q4 2021 as the company ramped up its Sprint customer integration and 0.98% for the full year 2021.

* Postpaid other net customer additions were 906 thousand in Q4 2021 and 2.6 million for the full year 2021, which included High Speed Internet net customer additions of 224 thousand in Q4 2021 and 546 thousand for the full year 2021. T-Mobile ended the year with 646 thousand High Speed Internet customers, exceeding its year-end goal of 500 thousand customers.

* Prepaid net customer additions were 49 thousand in Q4 2021 and 342 thousand for the full year 2021, more than doubled year-over-year. Prepaid churn was 3.01% in Q4 2021 and 2.83% for the full year 2021.

Customer results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2021 are preliminary and subject to change pending completion of year-end closing review procedures. The following table includes the impact of the Sprint merger on a prospective basis from the close date of April 1, 2020. Historical results have not been retroactively adjusted and reflect standalone T-Mobile.

Quarter Year Ended December 31,

(in thousands, except Q4 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2020 2021 2020churn)

Total net customer 1,799 1,325 1,702 5,837 5,631 additions

Postpaid net customer 1,750 1,259 1,618 5,495 5,486 additions

Postpaid phone net 844 673 824 2,917 2,218 customer additions

Postpaid other net 906 586 794 2,578 3,268 customer additions

Prepaid net customer 49 66 84 342 145 additions

Total customers, end 108,719 106,920 102,064 108,719 102,064 of period (1)

Postpaid phone churn 1.10 % 0.96 % 1.03 % 0.98 % 0.90 %

Prepaid churn 3.01 % 2.90 % 2.92 % 2.83 % 3.03 %

(1) Includes 818,000 postpaid customers acquired from acquisitions in 2021which were not included in net customer additions.