T-Mobile vs. Sprint: Which Mobile Phone Carrier Ruled the Quarter?

Sprint and T-Mobile are fighting to raise their position in the wireless carrier space, and in the third quarter of 2014 both companies made big strides to becoming better wireless providers.

But there are plenty of headwinds for the carriers. Sprint continues to face falling subscriber numbers and is still shaking off the effects of its previously dismal network.The company just completed a massive 4G LTE upgrade for its customers, but also announced it will eliminate 2,000 jobs in order cut costs.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile has gained an amazing 10 million total customers over the past six quarters, but still earns less revenue per user than Sprint. The company continually comes out with impressive offers to attract new customers, but at some point needs to significantly increase how much it makes from each subscriber.

The real question is which carrier will be able to turn its network improvements and customer gains into a good investment for long-term investors -- and at this point the race is still wide open.

The article T-Mobile vs. Sprint: Which Mobile Phone Carrier Ruled the Quarter? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Chris Neiger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Verizon Communications,. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.