There have been few technological gadgets to come out in the past decade with as much popularity as the iPhone. Since the very first iPhone hit stores, fans have lined up around the block and put their names on month-long waiting lists, all to be able to get their hands on these sleek smartphones. Apple has been very cautious about opening the iPhone up for availability on competing carriers. For the longest time you had to be an AT&T customer in order to use this device. After several years they expanded things a little bit, so Verizon and Sprint customers could also take advantage. T-Mobile was recently added to their list of qualified carriers, and even with the market inundated the iPhone continues to sell. According to a recent announcement, T-Mobile sold more than 500,000 iPhones since last month.
At that pace, T-Mobile’s iPhone launch could outperform Sprint’s current monthly sales. That’s pretty incredible, given that the iPhone 5 has been on the market for these other vendors for more than half a year. It’s certainly clear that for T-Mobile and its customers, the wait was more than worth it. The iPhone 5 is a rising tide that lifts all ships, offering a serious bump to a carrier that had been slipping for some time now. Thanks to these sales numbers, T-Mobile was able to report more than 3,000 people signing up for their service, which is the first time in the past four years it has gained in retail stores. It’s pretty clear that T-mobile customers have been flocking elsewhere, obviously in search of a service that would provide the iPhone. Now that the iPhone 5 is a T-mobile device, the carrier should see those previously satisfied customers come back, and won’t lose new customers to their competition.
This is another in a line of major changes for T-Mobile. During 2013 alone, T-Mobile acquired regional contract-free carrier MetroPCS, and cancelled their own service contract plans. T-Mobile is now a 100% prepaid service, so it will be interesting to see how that gels with the iPhone market. According to John Legere, The CEO of T-Mobile, the momentum they are currently experiencing should only build as the months pass. They are seeing quarter to quarter growth, which is only partially attributable to the iPhone. Legere feels the introduction of their ‘Simple Choice’ plan, which is completely contract-free, should be appealing to many new customers. And now that they’ve added MetroPCS to their ranks, the conglomerate could be considered the go-to carrier for the value shopper.
While all this is great news for customers looking for a deal and iPhone fans, the news still isn’t particularly rosy for T-Mobile shareholders. The company’s quarterly revenue came in at just under $4.7 billion, which is down upwards of 7% from this time in 2012. Of course, those numbers don’t include those half a million iPhone sales, or all of the iPhone 5 insurance brand protect your bubble packages customers then went on to purchase. When the next quarter’s revenue details come out, those with a vested interest in T-Mobile should be much happier.