Verizon Activates 2.2M iPhones In First Quarter
It is substantially less than the 3.6 million that were activated by AT&T in the same time frame, but is impressive nevertheless. It is also interesting to note that AT&T and Verizon sold less than 30% of all iPhone that Apple shipped in the first quarter (18.9 million). The market is clearly shifting for Apple and international markets are increasingly important to Apple's business.
Verizon said that the iPhone 4 launch was the company's most successful phone launch yet, but there were other phones that did remarkably well, too. For example, the company activated about 260,000 HTC Thunderbolts and 500,000 4G devices in total during the period. The carrier also attracted 364,000 activations of other connected devices such as Apple's iPad or the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Verizon said it ended the quarter with a total of 104 million connections.
Meanwhile we learned that AT&T filed a 381-page document with the FCC to promote its acquisition of T-Mobile today. According to AT&T, the acquisition is in the best interest of consumers as there is plenty of competition in the market and it would allow the carrier to improve its spectrum and get rid of bandwidth constraints. In fact, AT&T said, it requires the additional bandwidth more than any other carrier. The company said it would be able to offer 4G connectivity to 97% of the U.S. population, if the merger is approved.
AT&T also addressed the cost complaints: T-Mobile customers can keep their rate plans, as long as they stay with AT&T, even if they upgrade to a new phone.
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Time to get an everything plan with T-Mobile's cheap rates and get grandfathered in . . .
HOw is anything AT&T ever states good for the consumer. Company's do not make moves that are good for the consumer they make moves that are good for the company. t-mobiles network already services LTE to the consumers AT&T says it can reach, so how is that helping me by AT&T acquiring it? Is AT&&T going to offer an unlimited plan? Is AT&T going to somehow stop charging a different data connection for every device I have , even though I already have a data plan why should I have to buy a seperate one for each one. NO GIANT company has ever been good for anybody, never, in history. And AT&T certainly has never done anything to buck the trent.
How exactly does 4 major carriers mean there is plenty of competition? As data plans move from flat-rate/unlimited to capped/tiered plans, you can hardly call that a product of competition. Over the years, my wired bandwidth has gone up an order of magnitude in speed, with roughly the same cost, $50-$60. My cell phone bill however, which has been essentially the same plan, has just kept creeping up and up. I understand that data plans do cost money, but look at AT&Ts price history. iPhone Unlimited data $20, Iphone3g Unlimited data $30, iPhone 4 capped plan, $25 + overages. That last one is just using cost shifting to hide a price increase. What do you think will happen when t-mobile (AT&Ts only same network tech competitor) gets eaten by them? Now, you lose your phone no matter what if you leave AT&T. That's not competition, that's AT&T taking a page from Apple's playbook. Lock them in.
2.2 million more sheeps in this world. I feel bad for all those people.