AT&T Wireless CEO Ralph de la Vega doesn’t think his company will suffer too much if and when a Verizon version of the iPhone is released, reports “Silicon Alley Insider” (http://www.businessinsider.com/att-wireless-ceo-heres-why-we-wont-get-our-butts-kicked-when-the-iphone-goes-to-verizon-2010-5).
Though he didn’t say that AT&T’s exclusivity with the iPhone in the US is ending anytime soon, this morning at the JPMorgan tech conference, he said AT&T wasn’t too worried because:
° 70% of AT&T’s customers are on family plans, which is a pain in the butt to move everyone over to a new carrier;
° 40% of customers are on corporate discount plans, which are also a pain to let go of.
So just as AT&T has never been able to get more than roughly 40% of each quarter’s U.S. iPhone buyers to switch over from other carriers, it’s unlikely that huge numbers AT&T’s iPhone customers will rush out the door if a Verizon iPhone hits the market, says “Silicon Alley Insider.”
