It has been widely rumored that AT&T intends to adjust their service plan pricing in an attempt to draw in more customers because it is becoming ever more apparent that the poor economy and the increasing competition from other carriers is hurting overall iPhone sales, and today's report simply adds to those thoughts.
TheStreet.com is reporting on comments made by analyst Michael Cote, who suggests that AT&T is currently mulling the idea of reducing their current basic iPhone service plan rate from $69 to $59. Cote indicates that AT&T would like to launch the new service plan rates alongside the next-gen iPhone launch at the World Wide Developers Conference on June 8th.
Cote also reports that the iPhone's sales through Wal-Mart have been less than stellar, giving AT&T even more reason to drop their rates. He does not see Apple creating a lower-cost device as they have been rumored to do, because AT&T has supposedly recognized that the issue is on their side and they are willing to work with Apple to make the contracts more affordable.
Aside from all of that, Apple and AT&T must take into consideration how the the launch of the Palm Pre and the sudden rise of consumer level BlackBerry models will affect sales as well.
Competition is always a good thing, at least for consumers. There is no doubt that a service plan rate reduction would help drive interest in the iPhone, and doing so when the next-gen iPhone releases would only make the launch even more exciting. Hopefully these are more than just silly rumors, because after all, who wouldn't want to save a couple extra bucks on their plan?
