Verizon chief admits asking about iPhone, mum on rumor
updated 11:50 am EDT, Tue April 6, 2010
Verizon CEO knows iPhone leak but won't confirm
Verizon chief executive Ivan Seidenberg today said that his company has offered to carry the iPhone. In speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations, he acknowledged talking to Apple but didn't say whether the electronics company had acted on the plans. He also acknowledged the existence of the Verizon iPhone rumor that would have a CDMA model in the fall, but again wouldn't either confirm or deny its accuracy.
In follow-up details, he specified that he'd most like to have a 4G-capable iPhone but that it was "their call" at Apple as to what would ship. The LTE-based 4G network will go live in the middle of this year but won't get its first phones until early 2011 at best.
The remarks are a rare sign of active engagement with Apple on Verizon's part. It has always said it would welcome the iPhone but has usually stopped short of mentioning any resumed dialog.
Verizon is known to have turned down the iPhone when it was still in development and is believed to have objected primarily over issues of control. Although retail support and sales have been publicly cited as factors, it's also suspected that Verizon was unwilling to drop many of its criticized practices at the time, such as insisting on using its own branded software, disabling hardware features and otherwise insisting on a final say. AT&T, then Cingular, was willing to strike a deal given its struggle to compete.
Apple's exclusivity deal with AT&T is widely thought to be ending this year and might open the door to a CDMA iPhone in the US. Verizon has been under less pressure to embrace Apple in recent months, however, as the Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris have been consistent strong sellers and brought attention to the network that the BlackBerry Storm and others hadn't provided in the past.
Separately, Seidenberg shot down prospects of a merger with Vodafone, as he didn't find it very appealing without new information. Economies of scale make it difficult to create a truly worldwide company as networks have to adopt to different rules and carry different phones.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2007
Verizon only cheap on serving you.
"it's also suspected that Verizon was unwilling to drop many of its criticized practices at the time, such as insisting on using its own branded software, disabling hardware features and otherwise insisting on a final say"
Verizon wants to s**** the public and wants total "say so" to do it. After putting Apple down so much in the last year..... I just do not see it happening.
Just a thought,
en