The largest U.S. wireless carrier will make the long-awaited announcement at an event Tuesday in New York City, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
The move will for the first time let U.S. consumers choose the network that carries their iPhone and perhaps give them additional pricing options that could affect their monthly bills.
It will also upend the balance of power in the industry, ending Verizon rival AT&T Inc.'s exclusive hold on the device and leaving smaller players like Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA facing two well-capitalized competitors offering the world's most popular smartphone.
It wasn't immediately clear when Verizon would have the device in stores.
The Verizon phone will be similar to the iPhone 4 but run on the carrier's CDMA technology, people familiar with the matter have said.
Verizon Wireless is a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group Plc.
Apple is moving to expand its carrier base in the U.S. at a time when it is facing increasing pressure from phones powered by rival Google Inc.'s operating system, called Android.
Google gives its software away, hoping to stake out space on mobile phones where it can sell ads and other services.
Android-based phones passed the iPhone in sales in the second quarter, according to research firm Gartner. The surge appeared to get to Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs, who made a rare appearance on a conference call with analysts in October and criticized Android as fragmented, referring to the myriad ways the software appears on the many different phones that use it.
AT&T has had the iconic device to itself since its introduction in June 2007.
Since then, the iPhone has fueled much of the carrier's subscriber growth and has given it a solid lead in smartphone customers.
The arrangement between Apple and AT&T was groundbreaking at a time when carriers tightly controlled the appearance and function of their phones, and put Silicon Valley companies like Apple and Google in the wireless industry's driver's seat.
Verizon will announce on Tuesday that the network will support Apple's iPhone. Earlier, MarketWatch's John Letzing talked with Lauren Rudser about a cryptic invitation Verizon sent and the significance of the anticipated announcement.
Apple feels it has had tremendous success through its exclusive relationship with AT&T, but it recognized that it needs to partner with Verizon to grow sales faster in the U.S., a person familiar with the matter said.
"It's a big boost for Apple," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer of New York-based Solaris Asset Managmenet which counts Apple in its portfolio worth $2 billion. "It opens up a huge uninstalled base for them in this country."
Verizon Wireless fought its way back into the smartphone race last year by heavily promoting Google-powered phones made by companies like Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. and HTC Corp.
Top Verizon executives have continued to meet regularly with their counterparts at Apple, however, and have long expressed interest in carrying the iPhone, which could help add to the carrier's base of 93 million subscribers. Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein, has estimated that Verizon could add more than 10 million U.S. iPhone customers.
"It's great news," said Michael Benkoski, 55 years old, who works at a technology leasing company in Chicago. "I've been waiting for it for about two years."
IPhone users have long complained about dropped calls and poor service on AT&T's network, even as the carrier boosted spending to improve coverage. A Consumer Reports survey last month ranked Verizon's network as most reliable among the major carriers and AT&T's as the worst.
Analysts fear AT&T could see one to three million fewer new subscribers because of the Verizon iPhone. AT&T has been preparing for a loss of exclusivity, however.
This summer, it made it easier for customers to upgrade to the new iPhone 4, in the process locking them into new two-year service contracts. The carrier says many are also on family or business plans, making it tricky to switch.
Colby Synesael, an analyst with investment bank Cowen and Co., said that "the loss of the iPhone is more of a headline risk than a financial impact."
Smaller carriers like No. 3 Sprint and No. 4 T-Mobile could be harder hit, however.
"This is the worst case scenario for the other carriers," said Roger Entner of Recon Analytics. "When Verizon comes out with the iPhone, there's only one carrier in the U.S. that will gain customers, and that's Verizon."
While Verizon's network is popularly perceived to be better than AT&T's, it has yet to be tested by the heavy volume of data use that accompanies the iPhone. The carrier has been strengthening and testing its network for months to avoid the public relations nightmare AT&T has suffered from, one person familiar has said. Verizon executives also point to their success handling laptop traffic and the data demands of a growing base of Android phones.
Analysts will be eager to know when other U.S. carriers might also get to carry the iPhone. They aree also waiting to see whether Apple will offer the CDMA iPhone to other CDMA operators around the world in countries such as in India and China.
Verizon sent out invitations for an event to be held in New York City on Tuesday asking that recipients "Join us as we share the latest news," but didn't specify the subject matter. The event will be headlined by Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon Communications.
The event threatens to overshadow Verizon's keynote address Thursday at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas, where the carrier touted its new 4G network and announced a number of Google-powered phones and tablet PCs designed to make use of the network's capabilities.
WSJ: Verizon will offer unlimited data plans for iPhone
By Hayley Tsukayama
The Wall Street Journal has reported that unnamed sources close to the situation say Verizon will be offering unlimited data plans to its customers when it begins selling Apple's iPhone at the end of this month. AT&T has had exclusive rights to carry the iPhone since its 2007 release, and offers tiered data plans to its customers after scrapping its own unlimited plans in June. If the news about the unlimited data plans is true, it shows Verizon is confident that improvements it has made to its network can handle new iPhone customers.
While Verizon has not officially confirmed that the iPhone will be available to its customers, it's been an open secret for months and The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Bloomberg have all cited sources at Verizon "familiar with plans" who have confirmed Verizon's press event tomorrow will mark the iPhone's launch on the company's network.
As the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, market analysts expect anywhere from 9 million to 12 million users to snap up iPhones on Verizon's network, particularly if the company can tap new users in addition to any who may want to jump ship from AT&T.
An AT&T spokesman sent a statement to Business Insider mocking Verizon for it's rumored decision and its CDMA network:
After we wrote about Verizon's plan to offer unlimited data plans, AT&T PR boss Larry Solomon reached out with a statement: "The iPhone is built for speed, but that's not what you get with a CDMA phone. I'm not sure iPhone users are ready for life in the slow lane."
9 to 5 Mac and Endgadgetare also reporting that they have confirmed with their own sources that Apple will drop its 10 percent restocking fee starting Tuesday, and speculate the change is to give customers who have just bought AT&T iPhones the chance to change their minds.
Check back with Faster Forward tomorrow for Rob's full report on the Verizon announcement.
I'm sure they will have a 4g Iphone in the next 6 months. they would be nuts not to.
shouldn't apple be getting ready to announce the 5th iphone? i can't see them sticking with the i4 for anouther year when all these other awesome phones are coming out.
I'm sure they will have a 4g Iphone in the next 6 months. they would be nuts not to.
shouldn't apple be getting ready to announce the 5th iphone? i can't see them sticking with the i4 for anouther year when all these other awesome phones are coming out.
i guess it makes sense if you spend a lot of time on public transit. i guess.
mostly it's just a fun toy...but if i'm just gonna be checking this place out or just browsing the internet, i really don't need to use my laptop...abd trying to do it on my phone is nuts...i'm too old to read that small all the time :P
i guess it makes sense if you spend a lot of time on public transit. i guess.
mostly it's just a fun toy...but if i'm just gonna be checking this place out or just browsing the internet, i really don't need to use my laptop...abd trying to do it on my phone is nuts...i'm too old to read that small all the time :P
a bigger screen would be nice when traveling. we only took our phones last time. but at the same time, we have a laptop that we could have taken. outside of that. i'm sure it would be cool, but not for the asking price, unless it can replace the phone.
i guess it makes sense if you spend a lot of time on public transit. i guess.
mostly it's just a fun toy...but if i'm just gonna be checking this place out or just browsing the internet, i really don't need to use my laptop...abd trying to do it on my phone is nuts...i'm too old to read that small all the time :P
a bigger screen would be nice when traveling. we only took our phones last time. but at the same time, we have a laptop that we could have taken. outside of that. i'm sure it would be cool, but not for the asking price, unless it can replace the phone.
I would totally get a tablet to lounge around the house with. I could see it as something very comfortable to use on a couch. Laptops are a little awkward, heavier and you have to sit up straight to balance them on your lap.
the problem with the lap top in the lap isn't the weight/bulk, it's making sure you keep the cooling vents open.
at least that's been my observation
i'll have to try out one of these tablets to see how typing is. if you can type on them quickly, than i can see if you were in the lap top market where tablet would make sense.
Just heard SPRINT is asking for the $10 charge for new customers that they only were charging to 4G customers
No word on the Verizon Data Plans for the iPhone ?
mis info there.
The $10 charge isn't for 4g. They started only charging 4G capable phones, but just annouced they are going to charge the fee for all premium phones (whichc is basically every phone coming on the market now)
IMO, it's a bs charge when you are already charging me 29.99 for data. make the data 39.99 and call it a day. but they prefer to nickle and dime to make you feel better.
Comments
By SHAYNDI RAICE and YUKARI IWATANI KANE
The iPhone is finally coming to Verizon Wireless.
The largest U.S. wireless carrier will make the long-awaited announcement at an event Tuesday in New York City, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
The move will for the first time let U.S. consumers choose the network that carries their iPhone and perhaps give them additional pricing options that could affect their monthly bills.
It will also upend the balance of power in the industry, ending Verizon rival AT&T Inc.'s exclusive hold on the device and leaving smaller players like Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA facing two well-capitalized competitors offering the world's most popular smartphone.
It wasn't immediately clear when Verizon would have the device in stores.
The Verizon phone will be similar to the iPhone 4 but run on the carrier's CDMA technology, people familiar with the matter have said.
Verizon Wireless is a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group Plc.
Apple is moving to expand its carrier base in the U.S. at a time when it is facing increasing pressure from phones powered by rival Google Inc.'s operating system, called Android.
Google gives its software away, hoping to stake out space on mobile phones where it can sell ads and other services.
Android-based phones passed the iPhone in sales in the second quarter, according to research firm Gartner. The surge appeared to get to Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs, who made a rare appearance on a conference call with analysts in October and criticized Android as fragmented, referring to the myriad ways the software appears on the many different phones that use it.
AT&T has had the iconic device to itself since its introduction in June 2007.
Since then, the iPhone has fueled much of the carrier's subscriber growth and has given it a solid lead in smartphone customers.
The arrangement between Apple and AT&T was groundbreaking at a time when carriers tightly controlled the appearance and function of their phones, and put Silicon Valley companies like Apple and Google in the wireless industry's driver's seat.
Verizon will announce on Tuesday that the network will support Apple's iPhone. Earlier, MarketWatch's John Letzing talked with Lauren Rudser about a cryptic invitation Verizon sent and the significance of the anticipated announcement.
Apple feels it has had tremendous success through its exclusive relationship with AT&T, but it recognized that it needs to partner with Verizon to grow sales faster in the U.S., a person familiar with the matter said.
"It's a big boost for Apple," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer of New York-based Solaris Asset Managmenet which counts Apple in its portfolio worth $2 billion. "It opens up a huge uninstalled base for them in this country."
Verizon Wireless fought its way back into the smartphone race last year by heavily promoting Google-powered phones made by companies like Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. and HTC Corp.
Top Verizon executives have continued to meet regularly with their counterparts at Apple, however, and have long expressed interest in carrying the iPhone, which could help add to the carrier's base of 93 million subscribers. Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein, has estimated that Verizon could add more than 10 million U.S. iPhone customers.
"It's great news," said Michael Benkoski, 55 years old, who works at a technology leasing company in Chicago. "I've been waiting for it for about two years."
IPhone users have long complained about dropped calls and poor service on AT&T's network, even as the carrier boosted spending to improve coverage. A Consumer Reports survey last month ranked Verizon's network as most reliable among the major carriers and AT&T's as the worst.
Analysts fear AT&T could see one to three million fewer new subscribers because of the Verizon iPhone. AT&T has been preparing for a loss of exclusivity, however.
This summer, it made it easier for customers to upgrade to the new iPhone 4, in the process locking them into new two-year service contracts. The carrier says many are also on family or business plans, making it tricky to switch.
Colby Synesael, an analyst with investment bank Cowen and Co., said that "the loss of the iPhone is more of a headline risk than a financial impact."
Smaller carriers like No. 3 Sprint and No. 4 T-Mobile could be harder hit, however.
"This is the worst case scenario for the other carriers," said Roger Entner of Recon Analytics. "When Verizon comes out with the iPhone, there's only one carrier in the U.S. that will gain customers, and that's Verizon."
While Verizon's network is popularly perceived to be better than AT&T's, it has yet to be tested by the heavy volume of data use that accompanies the iPhone. The carrier has been strengthening and testing its network for months to avoid the public relations nightmare AT&T has suffered from, one person familiar has said. Verizon executives also point to their success handling laptop traffic and the data demands of a growing base of Android phones.
Analysts will be eager to know when other U.S. carriers might also get to carry the iPhone. They aree also waiting to see whether Apple will offer the CDMA iPhone to other CDMA operators around the world in countries such as in India and China.
Verizon sent out invitations for an event to be held in New York City on Tuesday asking that recipients "Join us as we share the latest news," but didn't specify the subject matter. The event will be headlined by Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon Communications.
The event threatens to overshadow Verizon's keynote address Thursday at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas, where the carrier touted its new 4G network and announced a number of Google-powered phones and tablet PCs designed to make use of the network's capabilities.
Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... z1APBLtNTc
By Hayley Tsukayama
The Wall Street Journal has reported that unnamed sources close to the situation say Verizon will be offering unlimited data plans to its customers when it begins selling Apple's iPhone at the end of this month. AT&T has had exclusive rights to carry the iPhone since its 2007 release, and offers tiered data plans to its customers after scrapping its own unlimited plans in June. If the news about the unlimited data plans is true, it shows Verizon is confident that improvements it has made to its network can handle new iPhone customers.
While Verizon has not officially confirmed that the iPhone will be available to its customers, it's been an open secret for months and The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Bloomberg have all cited sources at Verizon "familiar with plans" who have confirmed Verizon's press event tomorrow will mark the iPhone's launch on the company's network.
As the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, market analysts expect anywhere from 9 million to 12 million users to snap up iPhones on Verizon's network, particularly if the company can tap new users in addition to any who may want to jump ship from AT&T.
An AT&T spokesman sent a statement to Business Insider mocking Verizon for it's rumored decision and its CDMA network:
After we wrote about Verizon's plan to offer unlimited data plans, AT&T PR boss Larry Solomon reached out with a statement: "The iPhone is built for speed, but that's not what you get with a CDMA phone. I'm not sure iPhone users are ready for life in the slow lane."
9 to 5 Mac and Endgadgetare also reporting that they have confirmed with their own sources that Apple will drop its 10 percent restocking fee starting Tuesday, and speculate the change is to give customers who have just bought AT&T iPhones the chance to change their minds.
Check back with Faster Forward tomorrow for Rob's full report on the Verizon announcement.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/faster ... limit.html
enjoy
well, there you have it. congradulations to those that what an iphone on verizon
i'd still take any number of Android devices before an iphone.
me too...and this iphone isn't even 4g
shouldn't apple be getting ready to announce the 5th iphone? i can't see them sticking with the i4 for anouther year when all these other awesome phones are coming out.
apple announce their newest crap next month
i want a XOOM!!! :ugeek: :ugeek:
i guess it makes sense if you spend a lot of time on public transit. i guess.
mostly it's just a fun toy...but if i'm just gonna be checking this place out or just browsing the internet, i really don't need to use my laptop...abd trying to do it on my phone is nuts...i'm too old to read that small all the time :P
a bigger screen would be nice when traveling. we only took our phones last time. but at the same time, we have a laptop that we could have taken. outside of that. i'm sure it would be cool, but not for the asking price, unless it can replace the phone.
at least that's been my observation
i'll have to try out one of these tablets to see how typing is. if you can type on them quickly, than i can see if you were in the lap top market where tablet would make sense.
Sprint has a something coming up on feb 7th. i'm betting it's to tell us about their new phones.
Maybe the EVO 2?
if HTC makes a dual core EVO2, i'm so upgrading early.
you going to get it locked.
Not sure if I'll switch to the iPhone or not ?
The ONLY thing better than a glass of beer is tea with Miss McGill
A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers
That bionic does look like a sweet phone
i think by the time Im ready to upgrade their will be a crap load to choose from
The ONLY thing better than a glass of beer is tea with Miss McGill
A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers
http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/tech ... 852427732/
that sucks if you were on VZ.
but it could be worse...you could be stuck with an iphone.
If you're already under contract for the "new every two" we should be Grandfathered in, correct ?
The ONLY thing better than a glass of beer is tea with Miss McGill
A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers
yeah ut's omly for new customers after jan 16th
i get my last upgrade in august
Just heard SPRINT is asking for the $10 charge for new customers that they only were charging to 4G customers
No word on the Verizon Data Plans for the iPhone ?
The ONLY thing better than a glass of beer is tea with Miss McGill
A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers
mis info there.
The $10 charge isn't for 4g. They started only charging 4G capable phones, but just annouced they are going to charge the fee for all premium phones (whichc is basically every phone coming on the market now)
IMO, it's a bs charge when you are already charging me 29.99 for data. make the data 39.99 and call it a day. but they prefer to nickle and dime to make you feel better.
The ONLY thing better than a glass of beer is tea with Miss McGill
A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers
:roll: