Wireless ZoneFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Wireless Zone franchise requires a total initial investment of $442K – $1.3M, including a $25K franchise fee. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.6M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 37.9% charge-off rate across 40 loans[1]. Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $442K – $1.3M
- 36th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- $1.6M
- 18th pct Retail
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 792
- 39th pct Retail
- SBA default
- 37.9%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Retail avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
37.9% of SBA loans charged off across 40 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
Franchising since 1989. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 792 to 720 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $442K – $1.3M including a $25K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $1.6M/year (median $1.6M).
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 68/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 37.9% across 40 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Wireless Zone LLC
- Parent company
- PYITE LLC
- Incorporated in
- CT
- HQ
- 10300 Kincaid Drive, Suite 100, Fishers, Indiana 46037
- Auditor
- Katz, Sapper & Miller, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.3B
- vs $1.5B prior year
Overview
About
Wireless Zone franchisees operate retail locations selling wireless devices, plans, and accessories from major carriers (typically Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile). Day-to-day operations include customer service, device activation, plan enrollment, troubleshooting support, and inventory management for mobile phones and related products.
- CEO
- Scott Moorehead
- Headquarters
- IN
- Founded
- 1988
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 33
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25K | $25K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $265K | $725K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $152K | $578K |
| Total initial investment | $442K | $1.3M |
Source: Wireless Zone 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$98K
6.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
7%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
14.1 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $442K – $1.3M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $265K – $725K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $1K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Not more than 22% of the Gross Profit
- Ad fund
- -n/d
- Total fee load
- 22.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Transfer fee | $1K |
| Renewal fee | $1K |
| Total fee load | 22.0% of rev |
At 22.0% total fee load, roughly $359K per year goes to the franchisor before you pay a single operating expense.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.6M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.6M
- Item 19 type
- Average and Median Revenue and Profit
- Sample size
- 727 units
- vs category median 49 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $37K→$7.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $801K→$3.3M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 2 / 5 · above
Compared against 304 Retail brands
vs Retail averages
How Wireless Zone Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 792
- Opened
- 68
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 21
- Turnover rate
- 2.7%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +6.3%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +10.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 61
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 23 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 40
- Loan volume
- $17.9M
- Median loan
- $250K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 37.9%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 62.1%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 50.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 22
- Defaults
- 11
Vintage analysis
Wireless Zone charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Wireless Zone's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 13 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 11-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 37.9% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 3 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Wireless Zone presents moderate-to-caution risk due to undisclosed profitability, weak unit growth, prior royalty disputes, and opacity around actual franchisee earnings despite high capital requirements.
Litigation (Item 3)
Family Wireless #1, LLC et al. v. Automotive Technologies, Inc. (32 franchisees) - settled September 2016 with average payment of $48,440 per location and royalty reduction modifications. Tel Group, LLC et al. v. Automotive Technologies, Inc. (2 franchisees with 25 stores) - allegations of wrongful refusal to honor renewal rights and franchise agreement terms.
Largest disclosed settlement: $48,440
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Katz, Sapper & Miller, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 68 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo disclosed average net income despite $1.6M avg revenue — inability or unwillingness to share profitability data is concerning
- 02MINORRoyalty structure tied to Gross Profit (not revenue) at up to 22% is unusual and creates ambiguity around actual cost burden
- 03MINORUnit growth of only 6.3% YoY is weak for a 792-unit system, suggesting market saturation or franchisee struggles
- 04HIGHPrior litigation (2016) involving royalty model and renewal rights disputes indicates franchisor-franchisee tension and potential contract ambiguity
- 05MINORHigh investment range ($441K–$1.3M) with no Item 19 financial performance data creates significant uncertainty around ROI
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 7 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 7 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | within fifteen miles of Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Indiana |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Family Wireless #1, LLC et al. v. Automotive Technologies, Inc. (32 franchisees) - settled September 2016 with average payment of $48,440 per location and royalty reduction modifications. Tel Group, LLC et al. v. Automotive Technologies, Inc. (2 franchisees with 25 stores) - allegations of wrongful refusal to honor renewal rights and franchise agreement terms.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 80 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at Restaurant
- Ongoing training
- Required
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
37 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Wireless Zone · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Wireless Zone franchise?
The total investment to open a Wireless Zone franchise ranges from $442K – $1.3M, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Wireless Zone franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Wireless Zone FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.6M. The median is $1.6M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Wireless Zone's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Wireless Zone has a charge-off rate of 37.9% across 40 loans, meaning 37.9% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Wireless Zone franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Wireless Zone has 792 total units in the United States, including 792 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 68 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Wireless Zone a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Wireless Zone as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 68 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.