Verizon iPhone Talks Heat Up With New Reports
By: John Vinson
Verizon and Apple both, made big gains on Wall Street as highly substantial rumors were being made of Verizon finally getting support for the iPhone. WSJ.com has cited unnamed sources, though they seem positive that their information is accurate. Before going further, it should be noted that neither Apple, Verizon, or the manufacturers of the supposed Verizon iPhone, Pegatron, have made official statements.
Verizon is the largest wireless provider in the US, so any news of them receiving iPhone support, a device which sold 25.1 million units in 2009 is a big deal. Though WSJ cites unnamed sources, the information provided certainly does piece together a scenario which is plausible. And if correct, would have consequences even beyond AT&T and Verizon.
If the report turns out to be accurate, the iPhone would be available on the entire CDMA network. This is the network which houses both Verizon and Sprint. So theoretically, it could be both Sprint and Verizon who receive iPhone support.
AT&T and Apple have had an exclusive agreement regarding the iPhone since 2007. Therefore, AT&T has grown by leaps and bounds in the past 2-3 years. In that span of time, Apple has introduced all sorts of new models of the iPhone, and they’re prepping one for this summer. So, this begs the question - If Verizon does receive iPhone support, what model will they feature?
Apple provided an answer to the question of Verizon support, which didn’t give a conclusive answer, “There has been lots of incorrect speculation on CDMA iPhones for a long time. We haven’t seen one yet and only Apple knows when that might occur.”
It’s not a surprise that Verizon leaped in shares today, as the potential of revenue growth from the iPhone is substantial. The company already supports 91 million customers, and with the iPhone who has around 25 million users, could receive substantial growth. Not counting the current customers who will renew their contracts to get the iPhone at a discount.
Along with the announcement, we have a time table which would see the Verizon iPhone releasing late this year. This information comes from reports that Pegatron, the supposed manufacturers are scheduled to begin mass iPhone production in September 2010. As with all the other information, don’t take this to heart.
The rumors concerning Verizon and the iPhone have been circulating for a while now, though this is the most credible source yet. 2010 is certainly shaping up to be one interesting year with the induction of the Google Phone. And now we will more than likely see the expansion of the iPhone; it feels like it couldn’t get a higher adoption rate. However, this is only the beginning.
