Which carriers might be the big winners and losers, in terms of subscriber count?
All carriers say they expect to pick up customers, but analysts tap Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile as two likely winners. “If you want quality, you will likely choose Verizon,” says Mr. Guy, the Yankee Group analyst. “Customers who want value will likely switch to T-Mobile.” Losers could include Cingular and Sprint PCS, which were the two-lowest rated providers in a Consumer Reports survey published in February. (Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless were ranked first and second, followed by Nextel and T-Mobile). Nextel could suffer if its large number of business customers use portability as leverage to negotiate better rates, but the company could also make a successful pitch to corporate customers of other carriers.
