There is a rumor going around that Apple may end its exclusive deal with AT&T for its popular iPhone. According to some, AT&T is not unhappy about this.
Inside of AT&T, we are hearing that the iPhone is causing more trouble than ever before. On some level, having the iPhone is hurting AT&T’s image. Because they are the only company to carry it, and it’s such a data hog, it’s largely to blame for AT&T’s network troubles. We don’t remember hearing about AT&T’s “horrible network” before the iPhone–do you? The iPhone itself doesn’t really handle the switch from 3G to EDGE very well, so calls that are in-progress tend to fail whenever the 3G bands aren’t optimal and the phone attempts to step down to EDGE. It seems that AT&T is tired of taking the heat for this, and at this point, they may be smart to just let another carrier take some of those customers who are most inclined to complain.
But does that mean you can expect an iPhone at your carrier soon? Maybe, maybe not.
It is not as simple as it sounds to have a phone available on a cellular network. Most carriers – outside of the US – use the GSM standard for cell phones. This allows the user to pretty much remove the SIM card from one phone and put it in another and keep on going. Two of the largest GSM carriers in the US are AT&T and T-Mobile.
Most of the carriers in the US, including Verizon and Sprint, use the CDMA standard for cell phones. One of the real disadvantages of CDMA is that the phone is pretty much locked to the carrier. Even if you managed to get the phone unlocked, your chances to have it activated on another carrier are pretty slim.
The iPhone is currently only available as a GSM phone, although a CDMA version appears to be in the works. So until Apple builds one, ending the AT&T exclusivity won’t automatically make it available to you if you use a CDMA carrier.
If you are already on a GSM network, you can have the iPhone today – without AT&T. Check out eBay or other sources online for an unlocked phone.
Does this mean T-Mob folks can look forward to new iPhone owners piling on and slowing down the data connections? Woo hoo
Posted by MB | Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 2:19 pmLet’s hope that the T-Mobile system can handle it.
Posted by vjp | Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 5:44 pmATT is also the sole carrier for the new Apple iPad that was rolled out on Wednesday.
Posted by Mark Brooks | Thursday, January 28, 2010, 2:13 am