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Four way: iPhone 5 has Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint hinging hopes vs AT&T

Four way: iPhone 5 has Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint hinging hopes vs AT&T

When Apple takes the action of releasing the iPhone 5, it’ll have an unequal and not necessarily opposite reaction on each of the four major U.S. carriers – and we’re not sure even Einstein could properly explain the dimensions of the impact.

But in his absence we’ll give it a try. There’s AT&T, whose significant growth has been almost entirely tied to iPhone exclusivity, which it recently lost. There’s Verizon, which has been getting its backside kicked by AT&T for the simple reason that the latter had the iPhone all to itself.

Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint have all learned the hard way that the overall combined success of the various Android-based phones (or for that matter, embracing 4G networking) hasn’t translated into success for any of the individual carriers involved. Verizon went out and got the iPhone as a result.

Sprint may do the same, but if so, it’s not admitting it. And T-Mobile went out and got bought by AT&T, the original iPhone carrier. How the iPhone 5 era plays out of any of the above carriers depends on a number of factors.

AT&T: You knew the Verizon iPhone 4 was coming when AT&T began brattily running ads for every smartphone under the sun except the iPhone late last year. But any cursory look at the balance sheet should be enough for AT&T to come to its senses and realize that retaining the bulk of its iPhone user base is the only way for the company to maintain its current stratospheric level of growth. Sure, it’ll embrace the Android platform as a means of diversification. But just as the Droid wasn’t enough to keep Verizon in the game against AT&T marketshare wise, no amount of Android embrace will keep AT&T’s numbers lofty if it doesn’t figure out how to keep its iPhone core intact. That means competing on things like pricing, service, and network – which puts the ball entirely in AT&T’s court.

Verizon: The Verizon iPhone 4 is doing alright, but too many of Verizon’s customers figured out that there’s an iPhone 5 coming soon and decided to wait. Many or most of those who decided to wait for the iPhone 5 will buy it sight unseen when it launches. But those iPhone users who are on the fence about which carrier to go with, will be looking at the specifics. The best news for Verizon could be if the iPhone 5 comes with 4G networking. While Verizon’s 4G network barely exists right now, the carrier has done an impressive job of attaching itself to the 4G craze in the minds of consumers – and far better than rival AT&T which is even further behind in the 4G race. With consumers viewing Verizon as being more of a 4G-centric carrier than AT&T, a 4G enabled iPhone 5 could cause fence sitters to lean toward Verizon.

T-Mobile: Despite T-Mobile’s clumsy attempts on its own website to make it appear that the iPhone isn’t coming to the carrier, there’s little doubt that T-Mobile’s envelopment into AT&T will see it offering the iPhone eventually. Whether that happens in time for the iPhone 5 launch remains to be seen.

Sprint: The nation’s third largest carrier is now on a path to eventually become the only major carrier without the iPhone. Sprint probably won’t try to lock down the iPhone 5 unless it has 4G built in, but the question is whether the suddenly solely-diminutive carrier will have a choice.

[Thanks: http://www.beatweek.com]

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