AT&T could only look from the sidelines as their exclusivity on the Apple iPhone went out the window to “Rule The Air.” Yep, today 1.11.11 will forever be stamped as the day the iPhone was announced on wireless mobile giant Verizon. While this ends AT&T’s exclusivity on the iPhone, it may be a good for current AT&T users.
The little guy (us) could end up benefiting from the big guy’s (AT&T) loss. How so you ask? Well its no secret that AT&T’s 3G network is highly congested due to well, high usage. Most of that usage is probably on the ever popular iPhone. Just ask the Tech-Journalists that were covering CES how their reception was on AT&T. I bet they couldn’t “hear you now.” I remember back in 2010 at the San Diego Comic Con International phone calls were almost impossible. Oh yes, I am still on AT&T. Some users might make the jump over to Verizon solely for the availability of the iPhone. If enough make the switch, the side effect could be a positive for current customers as the network might get decongested. Imagine that!
It will be interesting to see how Verizon handles the surge of users getting the iPhone and if in fact AT&T’s network speeds up — I’m sure there is a company out there measuring data metrics that will report it. Say Verizon’s network slows to a crawl, then AT&T can put out ads showing off how their network handled the iPhone data better than Verizon. The name-calling advertisement possibilities are endless. It would only be appropriate since already it seems like the bad break-up. Engadget’s Nilay Patel reports in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Ralph de la Vega said “we’re ready” to lose exclusivity because “we are much bigger than this.”
Predictably so — at least by looking at the way Apple rolls out their iPhone — the CDMA iPhone 4 on Verizon does NOT have 4G LTE speed capabilities. Not only that, Verizon iPhone users will not be able to use simultaneous voice and data or roam globally. On the other hand there is a WiFi mobile hotspot option on the Verizon iPhone. There are also plans to release a CDMA iPad on Verizon.
Any way you look at it, it seems to be a win-win for the consumer since the coveted iPhone is now available on two major wireless carriers. All you have to do now is choose which one you want. Are you a current AT&T customer and have plans to ditch them for Verizon now that the iPhone is available? Already on Verizon? Getting the iPhone? Leave your comments below.
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