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  • February 2016 (Revised September 2020)
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T-Mobile in 2013: The Un-Carrier

By: John Beshears, Francesca Gino, Jonathan Lee and Sean (Yixiang) Wang
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:11
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Abstract

By 2013, the U.S. wireless industry was in the midst of a costly transition. As consumers began to embrace more sophisticated mobile devices, the industry's four main players spent heavily to improve their infrastructures for providing reliable high-speed data services. T-Mobile, the smallest of the four major carriers, lacked the scale of its competitors and risked falling further behind in the contest for market share. Faced with this daunting business environment, T-Mobile's new CEO declared war on the rest of the industry, decrying competitor pricing practices and upending the traditional contract-based business model. This case provides background information on the state of the wireless industry in 2013 and follows T-Mobile's early steps to transform its market position.

Keywords

Business Model; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Product Positioning; Competition; Wireless Technology; Telecommunications Industry; United States

Citation

Beshears, John, Francesca Gino, Jonathan Lee, and Sean (Yixiang) Wang. "T-Mobile in 2013: The Un-Carrier." Harvard Business School Case 916-043, February 2016. (Revised September 2020.)
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About The Authors

John Beshears

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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Francesca Gino

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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Related Work

    • March 2016 (Revised November 2021)
    • Faculty Research

    T-Mobile in 2013: The Un-Carrier

    By: John Beshears and Francesca Gino
    • February 2016 (Revised September 2020)
    • Faculty Research

    T-Mobile in 2013: The Un-Carrier

    By: John Beshears, Francesca Gino, Jonathan Lee and Sean (Yixiang) Wang
Related Work
  • T-Mobile in 2013: The Un-Carrier By: John Beshears and Francesca Gino
  • T-Mobile in 2013: The Un-Carrier By: John Beshears, Francesca Gino, Jonathan Lee and Sean (Yixiang) Wang
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