Verizon today gave a sneak preview of its spring results and said it now has 68.7 million subscribers. The figure is a net increase of about 1.5 million users after factoring in turnover and allegedly gives Verizon a cellular brand lead. More customers are attached to the Verizon Wireless label than for any other in the US, the carrier claims. It also claims to have the least amount of "churn" (losing customers for new ones) and the largest 3G network.

The provider doesn't attribute the growth to any particular cause at this stage, though in recent months the company has released multiple touchscreen devices in a bid to draw potential iPhone customers, including the LG Dare and the Samsung Glyde.

The assertion comes despite assertions by rival AT&T, which most recently reported having 71.4 million customers. The company's 3G network is typically seen as smaller but is also claimed to be faster than others in benchmark tests due largely to the inherently different technology.

Verizon publishes its full results on July 28th, while AT&T does so on Wednesday.