CrackBerry Addict
|  US Carriers getting squeezed by subsidies
Refreshing sometimes to read something with some data and not just one stat and ranting.
I would add...the smartphone game is also changing from a carrier perspective in teh US. They can't keep going with small or negative profits - and that means they have to find a way to...
--cut back on phone subsidies
--increase margin by raising prices and/or cutting costs
--look for other revenue or margin opportunities (what a thought!)
--add more subscribers (not expected to be a big enough help)
They are making small moves now but don't yet seem to be fully activiated - but then many are addicted to the i-subsidies. We can expect to see their tide continue to turn and that will help them AND the phone makers that help any of the above. The best winners could be those that take a non-traditional approach with the carriers.
How does this affect the rest of the world, where people are already paying near the full real cost for a smartphone? It helps reinforce carriers' resolve to not subsidize.
(BTW in the US, this could slow down sales of new phones if renewal bonuses shrink further than they already have in the last year - remember when there was a new every 2 plan?)
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