Industry analysts have said they believe that growing WiFi use could steal valuable subscribers from cellular companies that are hoping consumers will begin using their cellphones for data services like movie times, restaurant reviews and shopping deals wherever they are traveling.
Causing that envy is the fact that 90% of the operator's 12.3 million users are business customers, generally considered the most valuable subscribers in the industry because they are willing to pay a premium for reliability.
We live in a media environment where online eyeballs, in sufficient quantities, are still more valuable than paid subscribers.
Nelson, who had estimated that Sprint would lose 400,000 valuable post-paid subscribers who pay monthly bills in the first quarter, said investors were also disappointed that the company did not lay out a plan to turn around the business.
Pay attention to all the paper inserts in magazines because some are valuable coupons for subscribers.
I try to offer this kind of inside knowledge in the Gilder Technology Report and on the Gildertech blog page, with Charlie Bergers crucial help and the increasingly valuable contributions of our subscribers on the GTR subscriber message board (the Telecosm Lounge) at www.gildertech.com.
ESPN, which broadcasts "Monday Night Football" and floods its week with football programming, is typically found by surveys to be the most valuable cable channel among subscribers.
It seems perverse to me to allow money that is made available to support public service broadcasting to be diverted to fund the operations of the UK's dominant pay TV operator - which pays nothing for the benefit of being able to offer our valuable content to its subscribers.
The wireless division added 1.5 million contract subscribers, its most valuable type of customer, in the third quarter, bringing the total number of subscribers on contracts to 34.8 million.
For its wireless business, the company added 941,000 contract subscribers, the most valuable type of customer.
