Shelly Palmer

Survey: 1 in 4 First-Time Smartphone Buyers Want to Change Carriers

The price war over data and voice costs among U.S. carriers is having an impact on first-time smartphone buyers. For feature-phone customers planning to buy their first smartphone in the next year, 26% said they plan to change to another carrier, according to a survey released by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech on Wednesday. Another 44% said they might change carriers. Kantar relied on online questionnaires for the survey, conducted in the first quarter of 2014, and reaching as many as 20,000 consumers each month. “The quest for cheaper calls and lower data plans is driving the need for change” to another carrier, the analyst firm said in a statement. T-Mobile has been driving much of the low-price pressure in the market, along with no contract plans, Other major carriers have been quick to respond to, or even match those offers.

Read the full story at ComputerWorld.