*By Jeffrey Marcus*
T-Mobile announced Wednesday it had its best second quarter ever, booking earnings of $0.92 per share on $10.6 billion in total revenueーincluding a record $7.9 billion from services.
The wireless provider also added 1.6 million new customers, the 21st consecutive quarter in which subscribers grew by more than 1 million, the company said. T-Mobile also increased its target for branded postpaid customers to 3.6 million by the end of the year.
T-Mobile U.S. president and COO Mike Sievert said Wednesday in an interview with Cheddar that the company's growth would strengthen its hand in a proposed merger with rival Sprint. After several failed attempts which spanned a couple years, the companies announced an agreement to merge in April and have been working to earn government approval on the promise of increased competition from fewer, stronger rivals.
"The capacity of this network will create competition," Sievert said. "When we get this network built, it is going to have seven times the capacity of today's Sprint and T-Mobile combined. That's going to create a level of competition that AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast have never seen."
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/t-mobile-president-reacts-to-q2-earnings-and-merger-with-sprint).
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate dropped below 7% to its lowest level since early August, another boost for prospective homebuyers who have largely been held back by sharply higher borrowing costs and heightened competition for relatively few homes for sale.
Mortgage rates have dropped below 7% for the first time since the middle of August.
Taylor Swift grossed nearly $2 billion this year, according to Billboard.
A study from US News and World Report has found the most affordable place to retire is in Ohio.
Millions of households could see higher internet costs next year as the affordable connectivity program could end.
Viveca Chow, NYC lifestyle expert, spoke with Cheddar News to provide tips on how to have some festive fun in the city on a budget.
Apple announced that it's releasing an iPhone security update to prevent attackers from acquiring users' private passcodes.
As the new year approaches, many people are looking to find a job with a higher salary or are planning to ask their current boss for a raise. Taliya Bashani, real estate attorney and negotiation expert, joined Cheddar News to provide tips on how to properly and better negotiate better financial terms.
Meta says it will start testing a program that would allow posts from Threads to appear on other social media sites.
Several healthcare companies are reportedly joining President Biden's artificial intelligence risk management plan.
