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T-Mobile “Busts Verizon’s Balls”
June 11, 2025
For the last few weeks, Verizon has been running a minimalist ad that rolls colorful balls down a grooved slope while a gentle, if somewhat smug, voiceover explains what the balls represent and how they show that Verizon is demonstrably the best mobile carrier in the US. T-Mobile, who makes a particularly poor showing in the demonstration, has decided to bite back with a fact-checking counter-ad.
In the blow-by-blow critique, the ‘Un-Carrier’ questions the veracity of the data Verizon cites, accusing them of paying millions for the so-called independent study. They also claim the information that Verizon used for said study was up to a year old. Since they’ve expanded significantly over the last year, T-Mobile doesn’t believe is an accurate representation of 2016’s mobile playing field. The counter-ad goes on to point out various other ways that details were omitted or twisted. You can check out the original ad overhere.
“Verizon is known for their network coverage….so when they suddenly start spending tens of millions in ads to try and convince people their network’s better, it says a lot! Look, we more than doubled our LTE coverage in the last year, and we now have more LTE towers than Verizon! It’s a real horse race,” said T-Mobile CEO John Legere. “Verizon’s so nervous they’re willing to use old, incomplete data about our network on TV! But they’ve got good reason to panic, more than 5 million Verizon customers switched to T-Mobile in the last two years, and now, we’re going to show everyone else how the two networks really stack up.”
The aggressive critique of Verizon’s ad is part of T-Mobile’s new “#BallBusterChallenge,” a promotional event that encourages Verizon customers to pit their service against T-Mobile’s. Cash prizes are available to anyone who can stump the ‘Un-Carrier,’ but if T-Mobile’s service ties or wins out against Verizon, participants will have to pose for a picture with their choice of a sign that reads “T-Mobile’s network just schooled Verizon #BallBusterChallenge,” “Verizon’s network just got spanked by T-Mobile #BallBusterChallenge,” or the less confrontational “T-Mobile’s network was just as good as Verizon’s #BallBusterChallenge.”
This is on the tail end of T-Mobile coming under fire forthrottlingvideo streaming for users on its Binge On program, an issue which John Legere took to with equalaggression. The company’s colorful CEO is certainly a controversial character, but hisunconventional methodsseem to be finding paydirt for the scrappy company.
What are your thoughts regarding the ongoing PR battle that T-Mobile is waging against its competitors? Which carrier do you tend to side with and why? Let us know in the comments below!
Next:Best Verizon prepaid Android phones (January 2016)
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