Prior to the new year, T-Mobile’s (News - Alert) John Legere laid down some wireless predictions for 2016, most of which came down to more of the same: more un-carrier, more LTE (News - Alert) expansion, more of the kind of initiatives that propelled T-Mobile forward last year. And why not? After all, 2015 was a landmark year for the carrier. During Q3 alone, T-Mobile gained 2.3 million subscribers, bringing it to 61.2 million total, in turn allowing it to surpass Sprint (News - Alert) to become the third-largest U.S. carrier.
Despite Legere’s consumer-focused predictions for 2016, this level of success also seems to be having an effect on T-Mobile’s business customers, according to a post from Gina Narcisi over at CRN.com. Indeed, both consumer and business interest in T-Mobile is at an all-time high with the carrier attracting more interest from the latter group than you might expect.
As Jonathan Hartman, vice president of sales for PlanetOne Communications, puts it, T-Mobile’s unique channel program is generating a lot of interest. He should know, too, as PlanetOne is a master agent and one of the first T-Mobile partners to join the carrier’s channel program when it launched in 2014.
Rather than a standard reseller model, T-Mobile works with solutions providers via an agency model. Put simply, T-Mobile bills end customers directly and pays out partners in commissions. This leaves partners free to focus on building and maintaining client relationships.
Of course, T-Mobile’s ever expanding data network is also a factor. According to Hartman, T-Mobile doesn’t just provide broad coverage, but usable coverage. Accessibility to unlimited data is more important now than ever in an increasingly connected world, after all.
Meanwhile, T-Mobile has taken notice of the increased business interest and has worked over the last year and a half on making the right investments in staff and programs to embrace channel partners and its new position in the business market. So what’s next for T-Mobile and business customers? It’s hard to say with any certainty, but it’s expected that spectrum will play a huge role, making the low-band 600 MHz auction later this year crucial for the carrier.
Interestingly, many also expect T-Mobile and Sprint may be acquired some time in the near future. Regardless, for the time being, it’s clear that T-Mobile’s business success will continue.