T-Mobile CEO: Our message, not the iPhone, caused surge in customers
According to CEO John Legere, T-Mobile has its own messaging to thank for the surge in customers and customer retention it experienced last quarter, not the arrival of Apple's iPhone on its network.
After T-Mobile released its second quarter earnings showing a total of 1.1 million net customer additions, many were quick to attribute that growth to the U.S.' fourth-largest carrier finally getting Apple's iPhone near the beginning of that quarter. Last week saw the release of a study saying that the iPhone helped T-Mobile retained 400,000 customers that would otherwise have left the carrier.
Legere, though, is not so quick to attribute the company's success to just one Apple device. Speaking with AllThingsD on Thursday, Legere credited T-Mobile's message and service offerings as the reason for the apparent turnaround. Arriving alongside the iPhone was T-Mobile's new "Un-carrier" initiative, which has customers paying the cost of their phone and then seeing their monthly wireless bills dropping in price.
T-Mobile has also introduced an early upgrade program for customers. That plan was quickly imitated by both Verizon and AT&T.
These moves appear to be paying off for the telecom. Seven hundred thousand customers have signed up for the early upgrade program since it was announced. Also, T-Mobile's growth appears to be outpacing its rivals.
The iPhone accounted for 21 percent of T-Mobile's smartphone sales in the last quarter, and executives at the carrier appear to like that figure.
"I think it's a healthy percentage," Legere told AllThingsD.
The future will also likely see the carrier pushing even more Apple products beyond the iPhone. Legere was not specific in his remarks, but he seemed on Thursday to confirm that more Apple products, possibly including Wi-Fi+Cellular iPads, will be on their way to T-Mobile.
?I think there?s a whole array of Apple products that we look forward to carrying,? Legere said. ?We will expand what we offer from them.?
After T-Mobile released its second quarter earnings showing a total of 1.1 million net customer additions, many were quick to attribute that growth to the U.S.' fourth-largest carrier finally getting Apple's iPhone near the beginning of that quarter. Last week saw the release of a study saying that the iPhone helped T-Mobile retained 400,000 customers that would otherwise have left the carrier.
Legere, though, is not so quick to attribute the company's success to just one Apple device. Speaking with AllThingsD on Thursday, Legere credited T-Mobile's message and service offerings as the reason for the apparent turnaround. Arriving alongside the iPhone was T-Mobile's new "Un-carrier" initiative, which has customers paying the cost of their phone and then seeing their monthly wireless bills dropping in price.
T-Mobile has also introduced an early upgrade program for customers. That plan was quickly imitated by both Verizon and AT&T.
These moves appear to be paying off for the telecom. Seven hundred thousand customers have signed up for the early upgrade program since it was announced. Also, T-Mobile's growth appears to be outpacing its rivals.
The iPhone accounted for 21 percent of T-Mobile's smartphone sales in the last quarter, and executives at the carrier appear to like that figure.
"I think it's a healthy percentage," Legere told AllThingsD.
The future will also likely see the carrier pushing even more Apple products beyond the iPhone. Legere was not specific in his remarks, but he seemed on Thursday to confirm that more Apple products, possibly including Wi-Fi+Cellular iPads, will be on their way to T-Mobile.
?I think there?s a whole array of Apple products that we look forward to carrying,? Legere said. ?We will expand what we offer from them.?
Comments
Yeah, I'm sure it was that. They didn't need the iPhone anyways!
Quote:
Originally Posted by trd105
Man I wish T-Mobile's network wasn't non existent in my area. I really like their UN-Carrier plan they're doing.
Thats just the issue with T-Mobile. They're coverage sucks. They're still 2G here where I live. Everyone else is 4G LTE. Unless you live in a city you're screwed. I used to be on T-Mobile with an few Android phones and their coverage was never stellar.
"Okay. We'll just take it away from you and see how well you do. Toodles!"
–Tim Cook.
Hey, he needs his annual bonus and job security too! LOL
Umm... yeah... right...
Well, T-mobile is right in one way that un-carrier did help people move to t-mobile like me. But, also supporting iphone has helped t-mobile indirectly because when I moved from ATT, I had 2 iphone on my 4-line family plan with ATT. so, t-mobile new customer surge is a combination of their un-carrier simple choice 4-line $100 plan plus a support of GSM iphone with 1900Mhz migration.
Technically he's right, it was their message... the message that they were getting the iPhone.
I'm a new T-Mobile customer, and the ONLY reason I'm with them is because they got the iPhone. "Un-Carrier" helped, but iPhone sealed the deal, that's for sure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hampy
I had a long hard day at work ... It sure is great to come home, take a shower, have dinner, relax, and then sit back for a good laugh. Thanks Mr. Legere!
You are so right. I started my work day getting ready to scroll down to pick something for Safari to read for me while I worked. I saw this and burst out laughing.
iPhone and the "Un-Carrier" helped the bleeding to stop. If it was their message by itself, then they could have rolled out the "Un-Carrier" on Android with out the iPhone. LOL
LOL. That is funny.
I tell you what as a T-Mobile customer I was pissed after it changed its original pricing around after a month. I was going to get an iPhone 5 on my birthday approximately a month after it was first offered. Without warning, however, it upped the price.