AT&T’s monopoly over the Apple iPhone may be coming to an end.
According to the USA Today, Verizon Wireless will start selling the iPhone in January of 2011. This would mark the end of AT&T’s exclusive agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in the U.S.
AT&T has come under a lot of criticism for their iPhone service. In many major cities, 3G speeds are very slow and calls are frequently dropped, despite the fact that AT&T spent billions to upgrade its network. Users of the iPhone have longed for some competition and Verizon may provide just that.
We should note that this is not a sure thing. The USA Today cited two unnamed sources, so nothing is confirmed. There have been many rumors in the past about the iPhone coming to Verizon and none of them have turned out to be true. This particular rumor appeared to have more basis in truth, but it’s still not a certainty.
If it indeed is true, it would be a huge win for Apple and it would open up the iPhone to a previously untapped market. It would be bad news for Motorola and RIM (maker of the BlackBerry).
