Will The iPhone Make Consumers Abandon Their Carriers?

Posted by Stephen Wellman, Jun 15, 2007 04:42 PM

Just how powerful a pull will the iPhone be for AT&T? It's hard to say. According to a report in today's Wall Street Journal, just because someone knows about the iPhone doesn't mean they'll buy it. But it seems some carriers' subscribers may be more vulnerable for poaching than others.

According to researcher M:Metrics, just 14 percent of those who say they know about the iPhone will probably buy one. But more interestingly, 67 percent of those that are inclined to purchase an iPhone are subscribers on networks other than AT&T. Is this just iPhone envy?

I'll admit it, I am one of those potential iPhone customers who is not currently a customer of AT&T.

M:Metrics analyst Mark Donovan claims this is a sign that AT&T's strategy to use the iPhone to lure customers to its network is working.

Which carrier has the most to worry about? Surprisingly, it's T-Mobile, the carrier that consistently wins all the customer service awards:

The carrier with the most to be concerned about is T-Mobile USA,
according to the survey, with 12.5% of its customers expressing a high
interest in the phone...

How many of you planning to buy the iPhone use a carrier other than AT&T? And will the iPhone really be enough to get you to switch?

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