The UpshotReport: AT&T’s iPhone monopoly will end soon
iPhone fanatics of the world, rejoice: AT&T's monopoly since 2007 on what some have jokingly dubbed the "Jesus phone" is finally coming to an end.
According to the Wall Street Journal's Yukari Iwatani Kane and Ting-I Tsai, Apple will introduce a version of the iPhone early next year that works on Verizon's network. The paper says the Verizon iPhone will in many ways resemble the iPhone 4 that Apple recently released, but will be "based on an alternative wireless technology used by Verizon."
The news is sure to excite those who have coveted the iPhone but didn't want to switch service providers to obtain it. Also, the news should be warmly welcomed by current iPhone users who are customers of AT&T, as complaints about service issues with the phone on the AT&T network are legion and long-running.
Both Apple and Verizon refused to comment when contacted by the Journal reporters. John Donovan, AT&T's chief technology officer, wouldn't comment about whether or not it will lose its iPhone exclusivity in 2011, but he did take the opportunity to tout an area where his company is superior to Verizon: Donovan pointed out that AT&T's network lets users browse the Web while on the phone, whereas Verizon's does not.
