End of phone subsidies masks sales slowdown

London

THE heavy discounting used by US wireless companies to get consumers hooked on pricey smartphones is going away - boosting near-term results while masking weakness in the industry's main business of selling monthly mobile services.

T-Mobile US Inc kicked off the shift away from handset subsidies in 2013, prompting other carriers to phase out the incentives that for years were used to encourage subscribers in the US to sign two-year contracts.