postpaid phone additions

The net number of new customers signing up for monthly billed telecom services during a specific period.

Postpaid phone additions represent the net change in subscribers who pay for their mobile services at the end of a billing cycle (usually monthly), rather than prepaying. This metric is calculated by subtracting the number of customers who canceled their service (churn) from the total number of new postpaid sign-ups during the quarter. For telecom investors, this is a critical growth indicator. Postpaid subscribers are highly valued because they generate steady, predictable recurring revenue, have lower churn rates, and typically spend more on premium plans and device upgrades compared to prepaid users. An increase in postpaid additions indicates strong market share gains, successful promotional campaigns, or superior network quality. Conversely, a slowdown or negative net additions suggests intense competitive pressure, pricing weakness, or customer dissatisfaction.

A telecom provider signs up 500,000 new postpaid customers in Q3 but loses 200,000 existing postpaid customers to competitors. Its postpaid phone additions for the quarter are 500,000 - 200,000 = 300,000.