AT&T will lose its exclusive hold on the iPhone in June 2010, analyst Brian Marshall said recently. In a television interview, the AmTech analyst also said Apple will receive $300 per iPhone AT&T and other carriers sell, down from the current $450 subsidy from the U.S. carrier.
Talking to Bloomberg TV, Marshall said iPhone owners, who comprise just 4 percent of AT&T subscribers, use 40 percent of network bandwidth.
The comments echo earlier ones Marshall made about the nearing end of AT&T exclusivity over the popular Apple handset. In October, Marshall described the iPhone subsidy from AT&T as a “sweetheart deal” for Apple that could not be had with Verizon. The loss of money would be recouped, however, by a deal with Verizon. The analyst expects the carrier could sell 14 million iPhones, starting in the second half of 2010.
Although Marshall has put a date on the expiration of AT&T’s exclusive arrangement with Apple, the end is a well-known matter – even to carrier executives. In October. AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega told reporters: “We have a legacy of having a great portfolio…that will continue after the iPhone is no longer exclusive to us.”
In that news conference, the AT&T executive said it was working on Android-based phones, an ironic comment given its rival Verizon’s introduction of Droid. The smartphone is powered by Google’s cell phone operating and takes square aim at both the iPhone and AT&T. Most recently, AT&T and its rival have scuffled over Verizon advertising, first a “Maps” ad poking holes in AT&T coverage and then the “Island of Misfit Toys” commercial depicting the Apple handset forgotten by AT&T 3G coverage.
[Via Fortune Magazine]
