T-Mobile will join the ranks of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), and Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE:S) next year when they finally become a carrier for the iPhone.
A representative for T-Mobile explained the details to ABC News. They said, “T-Mobile has entered into an agreement with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to bring products to market together next year. Additional details will be made available at a later date.”
The company’s chief executive officer, John Legere, added, “What was missing? A certain number of customers wouldn’t come to the store if we didn’t have the iPhone. We worked very, very hard for a deal that made sense for us.”
The only potential downside to T-Mobile’s decision to add the iPhone, is that they won’t be paying any subsidies in order to offer it at a lower price. Customers will have to pay a premium for the phone, much like they would with prepaid services, but they will get a cheaper monthly rate. T-Mobile will also let customers upgrade their phones, which would allow certain customers to pay just $99 for the iPhone and allow them to pay the rest in small amounts every month. Since T-Mobile offers 4G for less money than most competitors, customers might find it to be quite a value.
There is no set date on when we can expect the iPhone to arrive at T-Mobile, but Legere mentioned, “When this device rolls out I can only tell you, it will be a dramatically different experience, and I can only tell you that of all the reports that have been written about what’s going to happen when it comes out, they’re all wrong.”
Research analysts predict that T-Mobile’s addition will offer minimal impact, but that it could improve overall sales for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). They further predict that T-Mobile could sell 4 million iPhones during C2013, or at least two percent of their 179 million forecast.
