While still not actually confirmed, the Verizon iPhone is already causing rampant speculation about just what will happen to AT&T when the device finally hits the market. Many, including Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, feel that AT&T will feel the burn of an iPhone on Verizon as customers flock to buy that version of the device rather than ATT's model. Because of this cannibalization, Munster has lowered his projected 2011 AT&T iPhone sales from 17.5 million to 11 million. How many iPhones does Munster think Verizon will move? Around nine million.
So the idea of a Verizon iPhone hurting AT&T seems to make sense, right? Not according to Nomura Equity. They believe that a CDMA iPhone will actually help AT&T increase revenue, at least initially, thanks to all the subscribers ditching their network for Big Red's. Nomura believes that around 2.2 million subscribers will leave AT&T for the Verizon iPhone, giving ATT a nice chunk of change from the early termination fees that those subs will have to pay.
Whether you love the iPhone or staunchly opposed to it, it's tough to argue the claim that it'll have quite an effect on the mobile industry. Many Verizon customers will finally get the device that they've been longing for since 2007, and AT&T could finally start to see more high-end, flagship devices running something other than iOS. Sounds like a win-win, right?
Via BGR, IntoMobile, Yahoo
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