Why is AT&T Adding More Subscribers than Verizon?
From CHART OF THE DAY: If AT&T Is So Bad, Why Is It Beating Verizon Every Quarter?:
If the conventional wisdom is that AT&T wireless blows, why is it beating Verizon Wireless — supposedly the best carrier of them all — in subscriber growth every quarter?
I have some theories. So do a lot of people who commented on the above article.
The iPhone does play a role here, for sure, but it’s part of a larger picture: AT&T has more phones to choose from than Verizon. Even if you don’t like the iPhone, you’re more likely to find something on AT&T that you’ll like than on Verizon. Better yet, because AT&T employs GSM technology, if you don’t like any of the phones AT&T sells, you can buy a compatible device from somewhere else and use it on AT&T.
The second thing is coverage. While most of the tech press are centered around two major areas where AT&T acknowledges issues with their service (namely, Silicon Valley and New York City), not everyone is. I experience pretty good AT&T service in Seattle, for instance and in many other places I have traveled. I’m sure that Verizon has better coverage in some areas just as AT&T has better coverage in others.
The third: pricing. Both AT&T and Verizon are priced on the higher end of the scale, but Verizon’s prices are somewhat higher.
At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter who’s bigger. People just want service that work. Whether that’s AT&T, Verizon, or another carrier, it really doesn’t matter. The subscriber growth numbers do speak for themselves, though.
