Even though Verizon snubbed Apple when iPhone wireless carriers were initially being chosen, Verizon’s chief executive Ivan Seidenberg has now stated that the chances of an iPhone on the company’s network will be improved once 4G technology is in place.
The CEO explained to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday that Apple is ‘more likely’ to want to work with Verizon due to the wider distribution of the 4G standard it will use to supplement, and eventually replace, its 3G network.
Per Seidenberg, Apple was never likely to create an iPhone handset suitable to Verizon’s existing network due to the company’s choice of CDMA standards. While CDMA and its matching EVDO data format are very popular among carriers in North America and are shared with Alltel, Bell, Sprint and Telus (among others), the standards have very little reach outside of the continent. Choosing CDMA may have forced Apple to make a second iPhone model just to accommodate the rest of the world, which has settled on the more popular GSM and HSPA protocols.
This problem disappears with Verizon’s move towards Long Term Evolution (LTE) for 4G. Unlike the artificial split between North America and the rest of the world today, a large number of both domestic and international carriers plan to move to LTE within the next few years, including AT&T and T-Mobile USA.
Seidenberg has claimed that the network may or may not be the sticking point and the discussion remains up for debate. Verizon is believed to have snubbed Apple early on when the handset was initially being developed. Just after the introduction of the first iPhone, the carrier spun its apparent loss by claiming that Apple wanted too much control over sales and service. Observers have also speculated that Verizon objected to being denied a chance to customize the interface and choose which features to allow.
Even though Verizon snubbed Apple when iPhone wireless carriers were initially being chosen, Verizon’s chief executive Ivan Seidenberg has now stated that the chances of an iPhone on the company’s network will be improved once 4G technology is in place.
The CEO explained to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday that Apple is ‘more likely’ to want to work with Verizon due to the wider distribution of the 4G standard it will use to supplement, and eventually replace, its 3G network.
Per Seidenberg, Apple was never likely to create an iPhone handset suitable to Verizon’s existing network due to the company’s choice of CDMA standards. While CDMA and its matching EVDO data format are very popular among carriers in North America and are shared with Alltel, Bell, Sprint and Telus (among others), the standards have very little reach outside of the continent. Choosing CDMA may have forced Apple to make a second iPhone model just to accommodate the rest of the world, which has settled on the more popular GSM and HSPA protocols.
This problem disappears with Verizon’s move towards Long Term Evolution (LTE) for 4G. Unlike the artificial split between North America and the rest of the world today, a large number of both domestic and international carriers plan to move to LTE within the next few years, including AT&T and T-Mobile USA.
Seidenberg has claimed that the network may or may not be the sticking point and the discussion remains up for debate. Verizon is believed to have snubbed Apple early on when the handset was initially being developed. Just after the introduction of the first iPhone, the carrier spun its apparent loss by claiming that Apple wanted too much control over sales and service. Observers have also speculated that Verizon objected to being denied a chance to customize the interface and choose which features to allow.