AfterDawn: News

iPhone will not be exclusive forever, says AT&T

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson has made it clear that he knows the popular Apple iPhone and all its iterations will not remain exclusive with the carrier forever, as eventually subscriber base will saturate and Apple will have trouble selling new phones and picking up more market share.

The iPhone has been huge for AT&T, which has attracted new subscribers away from rival carriers and in the Q2 2009 alone added 1.2 million new subscribers, 67 percent of which signed up to buy an iPhone 3G or 3GS.



The mobile device remains exclusive to the carrier however, despite heavy rumors that Apple will eventually sign a deal with CDMA-using Verizon. (AT&T uses GSM and Sim Cards).

"On balance, I think it works really, really well -- maybe as well as any strategic partnership we have," Stephenson added of the exclusivity deal with Apple, via IW.

Let's see for how much longer.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 Jul 2009 0:27

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• 5 comments

• bam431

  im still not buying one until they have better 3g plans

  25.7.2009 14:57 #1

• varnull

  I'm not buying one period.. there are far better phones on the market for 25% the price.
  

  
  
  Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work.
  I would rather you hate me for who I am than love me for what I am not.
  “It is poor civic hygiene to install technologies that could someday facilitate a police state.” - Bruce Schneier

  25.7.2009 15:35 #2

• 5fdpfan

  That's nice and all, but for many people, the phone is already routinely used by carriers other then AT&T haha!

  25.7.2009 18:22 #3

• mike.m

  AT&T is behind the times if they still think they are the only exclusive carrier. Rogers and Fido have had them for quite a while now.

  26.7.2009 03:26 #4

• engage16

  Originally posted by mike.m: AT&T is behind the times if they still think they are the only exclusive carrier. Rogers and Fido have had them for quite a while now.There the only US carrier... There not referring to carriers outside the US...

  26.7.2009 16:21 #5