AT&T Hints At End Of iPhone Exclusivity In New SEC Report
Are you ready for an iPhone on Verizon Wireless? Who isn't, right? At
this point, the rumor has gone on so long that it feels like it'll never
come true. But it simply has to at some point, doesn't it? The original
contract between Apple and AT&T ensured that no other carrier in
America would get their phone for a long, long time, but it has been
rather unclear as to exactly how long we would have to wait for that
contract to expire. And things couldn't be lining up any nicer if
Verizon wanted it to.
Verizon is gearing up to launch a nationwide LTE (4G) network in the U.S. next year. And the iPhone will be in the clear to be on Verizon next year. Well, we think. Here's the thing: AT&T has been extremely quiet about the agreement for as long as it has been in place. No one on the outside knows for sure when and how it will end. But everyone knows what the end will lead to: an iPhone for another carrier. Verizon is the obvious choice, and now AT&T has finally shed the slightest bit of light on when the contract may finally expire.
Recently, the company's SEC filing made a note that said they don't expect to suffer "a material negative impact... as these exclusivity arrangements end." They don't say exactly which exclusive contract they're talking about, but let's get real: there's only one possibility here, and that's the iPhone. No other phone on AT&T's lineup is worthy of being mentioned in an SEC report. No other phone can affect AT&T's bottom line like the iPhone. It's just obvious from here. The report goes on to say: " We believe offering a wide variety of handsets reduces dependence on any single handset," which again, alludes strongly to the iPhone.
If AT&T's talking this now, that really only means one thing: the end is nigh, and the Verizon iPhone has to be on the horizon. Now, the only question is will or will it not be LTE-capable? Let the next round of rumors begin!
Verizon is gearing up to launch a nationwide LTE (4G) network in the U.S. next year. And the iPhone will be in the clear to be on Verizon next year. Well, we think. Here's the thing: AT&T has been extremely quiet about the agreement for as long as it has been in place. No one on the outside knows for sure when and how it will end. But everyone knows what the end will lead to: an iPhone for another carrier. Verizon is the obvious choice, and now AT&T has finally shed the slightest bit of light on when the contract may finally expire.
Recently, the company's SEC filing made a note that said they don't expect to suffer "a material negative impact... as these exclusivity arrangements end." They don't say exactly which exclusive contract they're talking about, but let's get real: there's only one possibility here, and that's the iPhone. No other phone on AT&T's lineup is worthy of being mentioned in an SEC report. No other phone can affect AT&T's bottom line like the iPhone. It's just obvious from here. The report goes on to say: " We believe offering a wide variety of handsets reduces dependence on any single handset," which again, alludes strongly to the iPhone.
If AT&T's talking this now, that really only means one thing: the end is nigh, and the Verizon iPhone has to be on the horizon. Now, the only question is will or will it not be LTE-capable? Let the next round of rumors begin!
