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Credit Suisse: Verizon iPhone could snag 1.4 million subscribers from AT&T

By: , IntoMobile
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010 at 12:43 PM
iPhone-4

Credit Suisse Verizon iPhone

Credit Suisse weighs in with its analysis of the Verizon iPhone rumors and paints a very rosy picture for Verizon Wireless and a not so dire one for AT&T. This optimistic report assumes a February 15th launch date and analyzes all the information that is available from the current crop of VZW iPhone rumors.

While AT&T may lose some customers when the iPhone launches on other US carriers, it may not be a mass exodus as expected. A survey of current iPhone owners on AT&T reveals that 63% would stay because they are satisfied with the service (20%), expect improvement to the carrier’s service (26%), or have a family or corporate plan (17%).

Another 28% would leave AT&T and of those leaving, 23% would switch to Verizon, 3% would switch to Sprint and 2% would go to T-Mobile. AT&T should not be afraid of  customers leaving immediately as 18% of iPhone owners responded they would leave AT&T for Verizon once their current contract expires. Only 3% would break their contract to hop, skip, and jump to Big Red.

Credit Suisse estimates that AT&T will lose 1.4 million subscribers to Verizon, a figure that has been bounced around before, and most customers will jump in the first three quarters of 2011.Verizon could potentially add over 4 million new subscribers in 2011, while AT&T’s net new subscriptions may be flat as customers jump ship to Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile to get their iPhone fix.

Credit Suisse also estimates that over 8.1 million Verizon customers are waiting to buy an iPhone from Big Red and most of these individuals will snag the highly anticipated handset in the first year following launch. As a result, most of the hit against AT&T will occur in 2011 and level off in 2012. If the nation’s number two wireless carrier can ride out that difficult first year, then it should be smooth sailing from that point forward for all involved.

[Via Bloomberg]

About The Author

Kelly Hodgkins

Kelly spent the last four years covering mobile technology at places like BGR, Gizmodo and The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Before writing, she spent a few years working with and teaching others how to use Adobe Flash and Macromedia Director. Even earlier than that, she spent several years as a Ph.D student in Microbiology. When she's not writing, she can be found fishing the lakes and hiking the mountains of Western Maine with her husband and tribe of children. You can follow her on Twitter @kellyhodgkins.

  • Berg

    Too bad all of this is just speculation.

  • NoFoam

    People have been “predicting” it since day one. I switched from Verizon to get the iPhone. I haven’t looked back in anger. AT&T is a good company. The iPhone works very well. I am glad I switched. I still remember the horror with Verizon when I was looking at a new phone with them. They kept parading phones out, calling them the iPhone killer. Every phone seemed to have some road block. This was about 1 1/2 years ago. I am actually paying less for faster UNLIMITED data, I am grandfathered in.

    Thanks Verizon, but no thanks. I gave you 10 years of my life. No more of your lies and deceptions.