AT&T still dominates among iPhone carriers with the 4S

The iPhone 4S launched on three U.S. carriers simultaneously for the first time ever, but AT&T still takes home the gold in terms of the choices made by 4S customers when it comes to mobile networks, according to a new study by app analytics firm Localytics.

Localytics found that of the iPhone 4S devices running apps using its popular analytics platform, 56 percent use AT&T for voice and data services, while Verizon comes in second with 32 percent, and Sprint is a distant third with just 12 percent of all iPhone 4S impressions. Judging by the numbers, Sprint seems to have taken more customers from Verizon than from the market-leading AT&T, since the iPhone 4 split between AT&T and Verizon is 60/40. Localytics points out that the differences may be attributable to the fact that AT&T has a larger pool of existing subscribers who are eligible for contract renewal, and therefore subsidized pricing on iPhone hardware, whereas Verizon’s iPhone customers have just locked in to two-year contracts as of earlier this year, when the iPhone 4 made its debut on the network.