AND FOR VERIZON AND
AT&T CUSTOMERS?
T-Mobile was instrumental in pushing
the more established players to be more
consumer friendly, doing away with two-year
phone contracts and offering unlimited data
plans. T-Mobile has offered goodies for its
customers like free or discounted Netflix and
free international data. With just three major
providers, the worry is that there would be less
incentive to add services that consumers like or
to compete on price.
T-Mobile has promised not to raise prices
for three years, but after that, it’s fair game.
But T-Mobile CEO John Legere said that the
company will continue to be the “Un-carrier” and
keep Verizon, AT&T and others on their toes.
SO WILL PRICES GO UP OR DOWN?
Opinion is divided. Generally, fewer
competitors mean higher prices, which is
part of the reason the Department of Justice
required the companies to sell part of its
business to Dish to keep the number of major
wireless providers at four.
“Americans across the country will likely pay
higher prices for worse service in a wireless
market dominated by AT&T, Verizon, and
T-Mobile,” said Barry Lynn, executive director of
the Open Markets Institute, a research group
that promotes competition. “The problem is
especially bad for poor and rural customers.”
But others, including T-Mobile of course, say prices
won’t rise and the deal is good for consumers.
“Private industry has every incentive to give
American consumers what they want: faster,
better, cheaper wireless service,” said Patrick