Who owns the virtual operators & prepaid brands?
25 virtual operators & prepaid brands tracked here are owned by 14 companies; the three largest owners, Verizon, Liberty Global and T-Mobile, control 11 of them (44%) as of Oct 2026.
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25
brands
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14
owning companies
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44%
held by top 3 owners
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4
foreign-owned brands · origin ≠ owner HQ
Biggest owners of virtual operators & prepaid brands
| # | Owner | HQ | Brands in this category | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verizon | 🇺🇸 United States | 5 | SafeLink Wireless, Straight Talk, Total Wireless, TracFone, Visible |
| 2 | Liberty Global | 🇧🇲 Bermuda | 3 | BASE (Belgium), Hollandsnieuwe, giffgaff |
| 3 | T-Mobile | 🇺🇸 United States | 3 | Metro by T-Mobile, Mint Mobile, Ultra Mobile |
| 4 | Vodafone | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 3 | SMARTY, Talkmobile, VOXI |
| 5 | AT&T | 🇺🇸 United States | 2 | AT&T PREPAID, Cricket Wireless |
| 6 | BİM | 🇹🇷 Turkey | 1 | Bimcell |
| 7 | EchoStar | 🇺🇸 United States | 1 | Gen Mobile |
| 8 | IIJ | 🇯🇵 Japan | 1 | IIJmio |
| 9 | KT | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 1 | KT M Mobile |
| 10 | SK Telecom | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 1 | SK 7Mobile |
| 11 | Charter | 🇺🇸 United States | 1 | Spectrum Mobile |
| 12 | PLDT | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 1 | TNT |
| 13 | Telecom Argentina | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 1 | Tuenti (Argentina) |
| 14 | KDDI | 🇯🇵 Japan | 1 | UQ mobile |