[jcunwired]

At the risk of repeating myself for the millionth time, in may peoples’ minds, the Achilles’ heal of the iPhone is the network it’s on in the US: AT&T. Since the day it was announced as being exclusive to that provider, people have been wondering one thing: How long until it’s on Verizon? Rumors have surfaced time and again about the possibility, but today brings perhaps the most concrete news yet that the two sides are talking.

The two sides are discussing the possibility of getting Verizon version of the iPhone ready for 2010, sources tell USA Today. There are likely two reasons it would take until next year. The first, is that Apple’s exclusive contract with AT&T runs through next year. The second is that a Verizon version would presumably have to be CDMA-ready, which means the innards of the iPhone would have to be slightly tweaked, as the current iPhone is GSM-only (which AT&T, and most other cell networks run on).

Apple May Hear Verizon Now

[ray1b]

This could be a negotiation ploy to get a better deal with AT&T.

[jcunwired]

I don't think so. IMHO Apple is already feeling the heat from Palm, even before the oven is on, and are well aware of AT&T's limitations. Sooner or later Apple will move on, and I think it will be sooner. There's nothing in it but win for Apple.

[Felipe]

and just last week ATT was talking to apple their exclusivity.

[Pearl_Diva]

If they make both a GSM and CDMA iPhone, that means trouble for other manufacturers' sales in the US, except maybe RIM.

[palandri]

You can get an IPhone from Virgin Mobile in Australia. I thought Virgin Mobile was owned by Sprint? and I thought only AT&T has the IPhone? https://www.virginmobile.com.au/shop/iPhone.aspx

[Pearl_Diva]

Virgin Mobile only uses Sprint's CDMA in the US. Overseas they are all GSM, and offer WAY BETTER phones all the way around than US Virgin Mobile! US VM is a joke!

[KrazyRogue]

It could delay a lot of people but not me, my 2nd line, or my brother. We are all full steam ahead to get the Pre.

[palandri]

Virgin Mobile only uses Sprint's CDMA in the US. Overseas they are all GSM, and offer WAY BETTER phones all the way around than US Virgin Mobile! US VM is a joke!

So that is what their affiliation is with Sprint in the US. I am still confused over why Virgin Mobile offers the IPhone in Australia. Is there no AT&T in Australia?

[Pearl_Diva]

I think VM leases the service from major carriers in whatever countries it's in. It's a pre-paid service mainly, and likely has no towers of it's own.

As for the iPhone, remember Apple went to worldwide carriers with the 3G model, not just AT&T. AT&T is only the exclusive carrier in the US.

P.S. Looking at their site, they are a VIRTUAL network operator. I'm betting they do indeed lease all their service and have no towers.

P.P.S. Looking at a post below, I did neglect to mention that AT&T is a US-only carrier. Apple made agreements with international carriers for the 3G model, so any authorized international carrier can sell the iPhone. VM Austrailia is likely reselling the authorized carrier's service and so can sell the iPhone too.

[udratherbme]

hey let them drag their feet, that only mean that i can sleep later on the day of release... will not have them verizon junkies in line, trying to negotiate a plan and port numbers and all... all i need is a phone sign a contract and im out............

[Gekko]

the vzw network coverage is drastically overrated.

[Aero]

the vzw network coverage is drastically overrated.

It really depends on where you are. Of late I am traveling and doing some work in in dense suburban area just west of NYC and sprint coverage absolutely blows compared to Verizon.

I am with Sprint and think it is a good value for the money, but when it comes to coverage and certainty of signal, Verizon beats Sprint hands down. This is the consensus of people who use both for a reason -- its true.

[ADGrant]

So that is what their affiliation is with Sprint in the US. I am still confused over why Virgin Mobile offers the IPhone in Australia. Is there no AT&T in Australia?

The A in AT&T is short for 'American', they don't offer phone service outside the US. Virgin offers the iPhone in Austrailia because they have an agreement with Apple to do so. Virgin resells Sprint airtime in the US. Elsewhere, they use GSM networks.

[Libb]

It really depends on where you are. Of late I am traveling and doing some work in in dense suburban area just west of NYC and sprint coverage absolutely blows compared to Verizon.

I am with Sprint and think it is a good value for the money, but when it comes to coverage and certainty of signal, Verizon beats Sprint hands down. This is the consensus of people who use both for a reason -- its true.

Yet there are entire swaths of the country that have no Verizon service at all - and with the Alltel merger going through, they've had to divest significant portions of that service, which was supposed to give them better rural coverage.

Around here (Binghamton, NY), T-Mob is almost worthless, Verizon is OK, AT&T is decent, and Sprint is king - mainly because several large companies are based around here that have cut deals with Sprint for better network coverage (IBM, Lockheed Martin, etc.). And it wasn't that way not too long ago - just over three years ago, I couldn't get a single bar on my A900 from my buddy's basement in Kirkwood, out on the outskirts of town just past an industrial park, whereas he got 3-4 bars on his Cingular/AT&T phone. Fast forward two and a half years later, at his moving out party, my Treo (with an inferior antenna) pulled a solid 5 bar (with EVDO!) and he could only get 2 bars (with only EDGE). Sprint's been blanketing this town with towers at a pretty impressive pace the past few years.

[KrazyRogue]

It really depends on where you are. Of late I am traveling and doing some work in in dense suburban area just west of NYC and sprint coverage absolutely blows compared to Verizon.

I am with Sprint and think it is a good value for the money, but when it comes to coverage and certainty of signal, Verizon beats Sprint hands down. This is the consensus of people who use both for a reason -- its true.

I use Verizon and I agree with this message. I'm still getting the Pre on Sprint.

[Kupe]

the vzw network coverage is drastically overrated.

As a person who routinely carries phones from the 4 major network providers in my travels around the US, I have to disagree with you (simultaneously a job perk and a curse). Compared with Verizon, the other three services have shortcomings in geographic coverage, network consistency/availability, and robustness (ability to handle a subscriber-dense environment, like in cities). VZW consistently outperforms the other 3 services across the country. I often would rather use my G-1, iPhone/Blackjack 2, or Ace in place of my "antiquated" Q9C or skittish Omnia, but my customers (and wife!) yell at me if they find out I'm talking to them on anything but Verizon - which I sometimes have to do while tethering.

There are many places in my travels where the other individual cell providers have comparable service to Verizon, but I've only run into a few isolated locations where any one of the other three actually outperformed Verizon's service. In my local area, there are 4 heavily populated places I have designated in which I can make T-mobile, AT&T, and Sprint drop a call pretty much on demand. Verizon has no problems with any of those. I've yet to find a place around here in which Verizon is the service dropping phone before any of the others.