“It’s not in Apple’s nature to do a one-off for a technology Verizon itself is moving away from,” said Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart, citing Verizon’s move from CDMA to Long Term Evolution (LTE) for its next generation services. Today it supports only the most common mobile technology standard. Still, selling a Verizon iPhone this year would simply go against how Verizon and Apple usually conduct business, analysts point out.įor example, such a phone would require Apple to embrace a technology not used in most countries around the world. Investors in Verizon pushed its shares up 2.6 percent after the reports last week, while AT&T shareholders mourned the potential loss of exclusivity by pushing its shares down 2 percent. For its part Verizon could use the blockbuster device that has become a cultural phenomenon to win new subscribers and keep current customers.
mobile operator, would give Apple much wider distribution. “The Seidenberg comment adds a little credibility to what I’ve been saying,” Chaplin said.Įxpanding iPhone sales to Verizon, the biggest U.S. mobile service, would maintain its exclusive rights for 12 to 18 more months. “He’s trying to realistically set expectations,” said Credit Suisse analyst Jonathan Chaplin, who recently predicted that the current iPhone carrier in the United States, AT&T Inc, the No. At the moment, Verizon’s network uses a technology common in the United States but less so in other countries. as the devices come to a common architecture” Verizon would “be eligible” for carrying Apple products. Indeed, Seidenberg’s comments seemed designed to cool off the buzz about the phone coming to Verizon anytime soon, according analysts and investors.Īmong other statements that stood out, Seidenberg said that “over time. Verizon Chief Executive Ivan Seidenberg, meanwhile, said earlier this week that any decision is “Apple’s call.” REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/FilesĪnalysts say investors may have bet too soon on a Verizon iPhone after reports surfaced last week that Apple is making a phone based on CDMA, the technology used by Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc.Īpple, which has declined to comment on this subject, is notorious for its secrecy about the iPhone, including whether it plans to offer it at all on Verizon’s network. The iPhone is held inside the Apple Store in New York June 29, 2007.