I admit, in the last 18 months I’ve grown fonder and fonder of T-Mobile. They are not my service provider — never have been — so my experience with them is based only on the image they project, but I’ve been intrigued by the idea of the Android platform since I first read about it, and let’s face it — T-Mobile has done a lot for Android. They released the first 2 Android devices to market, they are the primary host for Google’s own Nexus One, and they still have the largest selection of Android phones to choose from.
In light of all that, I’m a little to hear that T-Mobile just isn’t expected to survive the next calendar year. According to Yahoo! Finance, The U.S. cell phone market just isn’t big enough to support 4 or 5 cell phone carriers. They make the statement that the only reason Sprint is able to stay in the game is that they are moving faster on 4G than anyone else — and let’s face it, they’ve made huge strides toward improving the customer experience in the last year. But they don’t expect that T-Mobile, in the #4 position, will survive much longer.
I sorta hope they’re wrong. In the mobile market, more than any other market I can think of, choice is a good thing. Each carrier has its strengths and weaknesses, and you never know what’s gonna have the best reception in YOUR neighborhood, so a variety of providers is ideal. But I’ve heard that T-Mobile’s customer service has been on the decline, and that’s not a good sign for any company — especially in a field where there is lots of competition.
It’ll be interesting to see if the diversity in the Android line makes any difference in their future, or if Yahoo! will be right, and we seem them fold altogether. Only time will tell, and if they fizzle out…farewell friend, thanks for all you did for us.
[via Yahoo]
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