AT&T Inc. said Friday it doesn’t expect to suffer a “material negative impact” from the end of its exclusive arrangements to carry handsets, including its lucrative deal for Apple Inc.’s iPhone.
The comments came in a lengthy discussion of the value of exclusive deals in AT&T’s latest quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
It was the first time the carrier has addressed the most closely watched issue regarding its future in such depth in a formal filing.
“We do not expect any such terminations to have a material negative impact on our wireless segment income, consolidated operating margin or our cash from operations,” AT&T said in the filing with regulators on Friday.
The iPhone is AT&T’s best-selling phone and is widely considered to be single-handedly keeping the carrier from losing customers to rival Verizon Wireless.
AT&T has held exclusive rights to cary the device in the U.S. since it was introduced in 2007.
Full story: AT&T Sees No Negative Impact When iPhone Pact Ends – WSJ.com