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US carrier Verizon Wireless announced Tuesday it will begin offering the Apple iPhone next
month, ending AT&T’s monopoly and raising the prospect of millions of additional buyers of the coveted device.
Verizon, a joint venture between Verizon Communications and Britain’s Vodafone, said the iPhone will be available on its network beginning on February 10.
“We are pleased to introduce millions of wireless users to the industry leading iPhone 4,” said Lowell McAdam, the president and chief operating officer of Verizon, the largest US wireless carrier.
“This is an important step for the industry as two great companies join forces to give wireless customers one of the most important technological additions to the mobile landscape this century,” McAdam said.
McAdam made the announcement, which has been the subject of rumors for months, at a joint press conference in New York with Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook.
“Verizon Wireless customers have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on iPhone 4, and we think they are going to love it,” Cook said.
“We have enormous respect for the company Verizon has built and the loyalty they have earned from their customers,” he added.
Verizon said it will offer the 16GB model of the iPhone 4 for $199.99 and the 32GB version for $299.99 with two-year service plans — the same prices offered by AT&T.
AT&T has been the exclusive US carrier for the iPhone since the touchscreen smartphone hit the market in 2007.
There was no immediate reaction from AT&T to Tuesday’s announcement but a company spokesman, in a statement to The New York Times on Monday, took a dig at Verizon, saying “I’m not sure iPhone users are ready for life in the slow lane.”
AT&T’s service itself has been the subject of numerous complaints over the years and many iPhone users or perspective buyers are expected to welcome the ability to be able to now choose between carriers.
