The iPhone from Apple, after being locked to one U.S. GSM carrier (AT&T) for close to four years, was announced Tuesday to be coming to Verizon Wireless. This will greatly even the playing field between Apple iOS and Google Android as the two mobile platforms battle for most units sold here in the states on a quarterly basis. The question is will Sprint, as the 3rd largest U.S. wireless carrier, be the next to pick the iPhone up?
This is a valid question for a few reasons. The first is similar technologies. The new Verizon Wireless iPhone has CDMA chipset inside, the same technology Sprint uses. Also, when asked if the deal was exclusive, Tim Cook, the COO of Apple, said “the deal with Verizon was multi year but not exclusive.”
So what’s Sprint saying about all of this? According to Reuters.com, when questioned about a possible deal with Apple, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse declined to comment. Sprint has actually been a fan of Apple products for quite sometime as they used iPads to propel their 4G overdrive and 3G MiFi sales over the last year. You’ll even recall seeing an iPhone in a Sprint commercial using one of their wireless internet devices to surf the web over wifi.
With the technology now readily available and no more exclusivity contracts to worry about, it’s not a question of if Apple’s iPhone will make it to Sprint’s network, but when. In fact I think we’ll see the iPhone on all 4 major carriers before the end of 2011.
Is anyone a Sprint user and excited for the iPhone, or would you switch to Sprint to get the iPhone? Let us know in the comments section below.