Verizon CEO says chance of iPhone on Big Red greater with advent of 4G

In an interview with the WSJ, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said that the chances of Apple producing an iPhone model for his network increase greatly with the imminent arrival of Big Red's 4G network. The exec said that Apple never intended to make a CDMA version of their touchscreen phone because of the limitations that the format has along with its matching EV-DO data standard. Seidenberg said because CDMA is rarely seen outside of North America, Apple would have had to make a second model of its device to cover the rest of the world had they decided to go with Verizon. This split will disappear once Long Term Evolution (or LTE for short) for the 4G network is booted up. Most International and domestic carriers plan on going with LTE, including Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. Once that mode becomes commonplace, one iPhone model will be compatable with a large number of networkers. We have previously reported that Seidenberg's company plans to have LTE up and running on two cities by the end of the year.

If Seidenberg's comments are true about Apple never planning to make a CDMA version of the iPhone, it debunks the common theory that Verizon had first shot at the handset but turned it down because the company did not want to give up control on certain things like interface design, pricing, sales and service. It also kills reports that Big Red is planning on offering a version of the phone later this year.

source: WSJ via AppleInsider