> Rumor Mill: AT&T Wireless subscribers defect en masse
> According to a report from Bloomberg, AT&T Wireless may post its first net
> quarterly subscriber loss as the carrier's customers flock to rivals like
> Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile. AT&T Wireless may lose as many as 201,000
> subscribers in the first quarter. The carrier is struggling to attract new
> users as it faces acquisition by Cingular Wireless sometime later this year.
> Analysts claim that the combination of the uncertainty of the Cingular
> merger, the carrier's poor customer support, and the wide availability of
> number portability could work to substantially shrink AT&T Wireless'
> subscriber base before the end of this year.
>
> Meanwhile, Cingular is powerless to do anything to stop the subscriber
> defections until it completes its merger with AT&T Wireless. Some insiders
> speculate that AT&T Wireless could have substantially fewer subscribers by
> the time its merger with Cingular is complete, adding fuel to criticisms
> that Cingular overpaid for its U.S. rival. At the same time, Verizon
> Wireless claims that AT&T Wireless is "melting down" under the combined
> pressure from the Cingular merger and the carrier's poor level of service.