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Apr. 28, 2009

If some rumors prove to be true, Verizon Wireless and Apple are currently negotiating to bring a CDMA version of the iPhone to Verizon’s mobile network, according to USA Today.

Verizon has set a timeframe of next year for its roll out of its new LTE network.

However, such a rollout would limit the potential lifetime of a CDMA version of the iPhone to a couple of years.

Many speculate that Apple will now wait until LTE is more widely available before making a break from AT&T.

But many wireless industry analysts have reacted with a degree of skepticism to recent stories of Apple breaking its exclusivity with AT&T.

Few believe that Apple would gain from such a deal given the expense of developing a CDMA-capable iPhone.

None of the companies involved (Apple, AT&T or Verizon Wireless) would comment on these rumors, however.

Apple’s iPhone is now seen as keeping AT&T very profitable in hard economic times. AT&T reported 1.62 million iPhones activated in the first quarter of this year, with wireless data revenue growth up almost 39 percent from the same quarter of last year.

Verizon Wireless today reported better-than-expected numbers, including subscriber gains that topped AT&T's 1.2 million net subscribers.

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Source: USA Today.