AT&T Looks Past iPhone

Apple's iPhone has been a major driver of new customers for AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), but the wireless carrier is looking at new devices such as netbooks, electronic-book readers, and digital cameras to sustain new subscriber growth.

Thanks to the release of the iPhone 3GS, AT&T added nearly 840,000 new iPhone customers last quarter, which accounted for about 60% of the carrier's new subscriber adds. But the mobile operator knows the iPhone won't be exclusive forever, as reports continue to swirl that rival Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless will get the iPhone or an iPhone-like device sooner or later.

Traditional voice revenues are also on a downward trend, and the carrier said it will branch out to offer multiple devices that use mobile data plans in order to generate new revenues.

"It's not just looking for the next great smartphone, it's looking for what are the next great set of devices that customers are going to want," Ralph de la Vega, head of AT&T's wireless unit, told Bloomberg. "There's a plethora of those things that are just beginning to get to market that I think will dramatically change the industry."

Read the rest at InformationWeek.

— Marin Perez, InformationWeek