Verizon Is Already Benefiting From the Proposed T-Mobile/Sprint Merger [telecom]

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The wireless industry is less competitive than before even though the merger hasn't happened yet.

By Adam Levy

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is expected to post its first year-over-year increase in service revenue since 2014.

Verizon saw service revenue tank after T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS) started its Un-carrier initiatives, including unbundling installment plans and service contracts and bringing back unlimited data plans. The moves, combined with Sprint's (NYSE:S) aggressive pricing, put pressure on the larger competitor to follow suit and make some customer-friendly changes in order to prevent subscriber losses. Those measures coupled with limited subscriber growth led to a decline in wireless service revenue.