Carriers like Verizon, ATT&T and T-Mobile are fighting a price war that could last months
by Kevin Kelleher
This hasn't exactly been a banner year for wireless carriers' stocks. While the S&P 500 Index has risen 8% this year, AT&T and Verizon, which together control about 83% of the wireless market, are down 8%.
The two companies have fared especially poorly in the last month: AT&T is down 10% and Verizon is down 12%, while the S&P is down only
2%. The reason is one that may delight consumers and concern investors: A price war, in which rivals cut prices to steal market share from one another, has broken out among carriers, and it's only likely to get more intense next year. The longer a price war endures, the more choice consumers will have, though it means financial pain for carriers.
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