Once a relatively short list, Apple’s lineup of regional iPhone carriers is growing longer by the month. In April, the company added five partners in Alaska, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Later this month, it will add three more in California, Kentucky and Kansas.
On May 18, Kentucky’s Bluegrass Cellular, California’s Golden State Cellular, and Kansas’ Nex-Tech Wireless will add the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S to their portfolios. And all three will sell the devices at a $50 discount to the prices charged by AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.
With the addition of Bluegrass, Golden State and Nex-Tech, Apple is now selling the iPhone on 12 carriers across the United States. Clearly, the company is executing on the plan for carrier expansion Tim Cook outlined last year to Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi and has no intention of ceding any smartphone market share to rivals.