US Carriers Report Mixed Fortunes
Before number portability went into effect, the predicted losers were AT&T Wireless, Cingular and Sprint PCS. Verizon and T-Mobile were expected to do well. So far, it seems that the early results match these predictions, with one major exception. Sprint PCS says that business is booming, and they're adding plenty of subscribers. Must be that guy in the trench coat. So, now, we have Verizon Wireless with the "Can you hear me now?" guy and Sprint PCS with the guy in the trench coat. It appears that the other carriers need to figure out who their oddly annoying nameless guy is going to be for advertising purposes. On a more serious note, the more time passes, the more the AT&T Wireless and Cingular merger is looking like a desperate play by two companies that couldn't keep up. That's not necessarily true, as there are many other reasons for what's happened, but that's the impression people are definitely getting as both have shrinking revenue (and AT&T Wireless has shrinking customer numbers).
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
