AT&T Said to be Prepping for New Heavy Data Devices: Do They Really Need to If Verizon Gets an iPhone Too?

AT&T prepping network to handle “unannounced” devices?

So, despite all the rumors about Verizon getting both the unannounced new iPhone and mythical Apple tablet, it seems reasonable that Apple will also continue to sell devices through AT&T. However, if both AT&T and Verizon sell the same or similar products, does AT&T really need to finally get around to fixing their network? What if they end up with fewer combined iPhone/tablet users than the current iPhone users count? If, for example AT&T is able to retain 80% of the current iPhone subscriber base, it may be that the new reduced data usage will be manageable on their current network as-is.

And, if Verizon launches a campaign as aggressive as their Droid campaign last fall, my 80% AT&T iPhone customer retention guess might be way to conservative.

If