“The new competition from Verizon may cause AT&T to push even harder to increase their network’s capability and reliability, so they may retain unhappy customers,” said Bryan Gonzalez of the Entertainment Technology Center in Los Angeles.
“In the end, the increase in available phones across carriers will only help consumers see lower rates and higher quality products in the marketplace.”
Having smartphones on multiple carriers will also help smartphone makers increase the size of their audience, Gonzalez said.
“This will only further spur competition in the multicarrier smartphone market,” Gonzalez said. “For a long time, the smartphone manufacturers were at the will of the cell phone carriers. But as smartphones become more appealing and gain popularity, phone carriers must start to give in to smartphone maker’s demands.”
—