If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then AT&T, Verizon and Sprint must all hold T-Mobile CEO John Legere in high regard. OK, so that’s definitely not true but it is true that Legere and his underdog mobile carrier have been the major trendsetters in the wireless industry over the past year.
FierceWireless’s Roger Entner has put together a nice timeline chronicling how T-Mobile’s moves over the past year have forced its rivals’ hands by pushing them to follow T-Mobile’s new initiatives with similar ones of their own. The action really starts in July 2013 when T-Mobile first unveiled its Jump smartphone early upgrade plan that all three of its rival carriers rushed to copy. Entner also notes that AT&T and Verizon both cut prices on their shared data plans in response to T-Mobile’s moves and that AT&T even went so far as to offer T-Mobile customers $200 extra if they switched to AT&T.
“Choices matter to consumers and the growth of T-Mobile’s subscriber share, which is on par with the rate of growth at AT&T and Verizon in the last few quarters, impressively shows that if you want to compete in the U.S., consumers respond positively,” Entner writes. “Bottom line, there is undisputable evidence that the carriers are duking it out for every consumer dollar.”
