ChangeWave Research released the results of a recent study today which asked current mobile carrier customers to predict their behavior in the coming months and focused heavily on Verizon Wireless in relation to other cellphone providers in the United States. The survey, which questioned more than 4,000 people, was conducted days before the official word from Verizon; though it"s important to note that common rapport was that the announcement was approaching. In fact, The Wall Street Journal confirmed that the iPhone would come to Verizon almost a week before the actual announcement took place.
When AT&T subscribers were asked in December 2010 if they planned on switching mobile carriers in the future, 15% said that they were very or somewhat likely, which was up a considerable 5% since they were asked in September 2010. AT&T users cited poor reception and dropped calls as their top reasons for switching. Yet, the survey proved that AT&T"s dropped call rate improved in the last several months, down to a 4.7% call failure rate from 6%, at least from the point of view of its users. That number is still significantly higher than Verizon"s 1.7%, however.
But when AT&T subscribers were asked if they would switch to Verizon in favor of a Verizon iPhone, 16% said yes, 23% said they didn"t know, while the rest claimed no. When that question was asked to current iPhone users on AT&T, the percentage climbed up to at least one-in-four, at 26%, who claimed they were jumping ship. More than 40% of all AT&T users planning to move to Verizon will do so in the next three months.