BestCellular maps 317 U.S. wireless brands, finds 165 are gone

BestCellular.com has released a free 2026 dataset covering 317 U.S. carriers and phone-service brands, including which network each one uses and what happened to brands that shut down, merged, renamed or sold. The list is designed to help customers, newsrooms and researchers track a fragmented wireless market where many brands do not own their own networks.

Why it matters: - The U.S. wireless market is crowded, fragmented and often opaque to consumers. - BestCellular's dataset gives customers and researchers a single record of which brands are still active, which have disappeared and which network each active carrier uses. - The dataset is intended to help customers find where to transfer service when a brand shuts down or changes hands.

What happened: - BestCellular.com published the 2026 US Carrier and MVNO List, a free open dataset covering 317 U.S. carriers and phone-service brands. - The dataset tracks the network each brand runs on and documents what happened to brands that are no longer operating. - Of the 317 brands in the list, 165 are gone. - Among the brands that are gone, 123 shut down, 28 were acquired, 10 were renamed and 4 merged. - Each discontinued brand has a dated page explaining what happened to its customers. - The list covers 152 still-operating brands. - Of the active brands, 141 are mobile carriers and 11 are internet-calling or landline services.

The details: - Among the 141 active mobile carriers, 27 run on T-Mobile, 25 run on Verizon and 19 run on AT&T. - Another 32 active mobile carriers run their own networks. - Ten active mobile carriers use more than one network. - Twenty-eight active mobile carriers do not publish which network they use. - The dataset says it contains more shut-down U.S. mobile virtual network operator brands than Wikipedia's list. - Where a record rests on a single uncited source, the page says so. - The dataset is licensed under CC BY 4.0. - Newsrooms, researchers and wireless retailers can reuse the data with credit and a link to BestCellular's data page. - Every record includes sources. - Each active carrier page includes the account number and transfer PIN steps customers need to switch carriers. - BestCellular.com also offers a transfer PIN lookup, a phone unlock checker, a phone compatibility check and a printable port-in card for wireless stores. - BestCellular.com does not sell wireless service. - BestCellular.com is operated by Assertive Holdings, LLC.

Between the lines: - The dataset underscores how often U.S. wireless brands change ownership, names or network relationships without much public trace. - The emphasis on source notes, dated records and transfer steps suggests the project is aimed as much at consumer portability as at industry tracking. - The comparison to Wikipedia signals that BestCellular is positioning the list as a more complete historical record of carrier shutdowns.

What's next: - BestCellular is positioning the free dataset as a reusable reference for future carrier tracking, customer transfers and reporting. - The site says each record will continue to show source material and carrier status details. - The company's free tools are available now for customers who need account and transfer information when switching providers.

The bottom line: - BestCellular is trying to fill a gap in the wireless market: a public, reusable map of which carrier brands exist, which have vanished and what network sits behind each one.