Why Apple’s iPhone 5 will be available on all U.S. carriers this year

By on Jul 6, 2011 at 12:26 PM
Featured July 6, 2011

It’s funny to think that until a few months ago, Apple’s iPhone was locked to a single carrier here in the U.S. And just like that, AT&T’s exclusivity agreement expired and Verizon Wireless starting selling the device. According to public statements from Verizon Wireless and Apple, there is no CDMA exclusive on the iPhone, though the device is still not available from any other CDMA provider in the world. But I think this will change later this year when Sprint and T-Mobile USA start retailing the iPhone 5. Hit the jump for my thoughts.

BGR exclusively reported in April that Apple has been testing a T-Mobile USA iPhone “4S” device, and while a test device doesn’t mean that the iPhone would definitely come to T-Mobile, with no exclusivity on the GSM or CDMA models the question would be why not? Why wouldn’t Apple bring its handset to the two remaining U.S. carriers and finally start to battle Android in the big leagues once and for all? Google tried a multi-carrier approach with the Nexus One and quickly failed, but Apple can and will do it successfully. One single device that will be practically identical on every major carrier in the U.S., and that single phone will be the best-selling smartphone on every carrier that sells it as it combats the introduction of gimmicky Android handsets introduced faster than you can remember their names.

The only question in my mind is whether T-Mobile and Sprint will also retail the iPhone 4 for what will most likely be $99, in addition to an iPhone 5. Would it make much sense for Apple to make last year’s model compatible with T-Mobile and Sprint? My gut says yes.

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  • SJ

    I wish we would just have a system where you buy your phone – iphone or otherwise- and could use it on any network – and could switch networks and keep your phone…That would be true consumer freedom.  The cell phone industry in the US is way too complicated.

  • Leannp67

    @korber: I think they will! I know I will! I was actually waiting out my contract fulfillment to switch from Sprint to A T & T just so I could get the iphone! I believe the vast majority of people WILL choose the iphone if for no other reason, popularity. Not my reasoning, just think this will be the attraction for most to choose it over any other model. 

  • Anonymous

    I hope Sprint really gets the Iphone…

  • Bijoy S

    “One single device that will be practically identical on every major
    carrier in the U.S., and that single phone will be the best-selling
    smartphone on every carrier that sells it as it combats the introduction
    of gimmicky Android handsets introduced faster than you can remember
    their names.”

    First of all Jonathan Geller is an idiot by actually saying this above. Why would anyone wants to buy “That One Single Device” that everyone has? The whole purpose of Android is to have “Choice”. iPhone does not provide that choice in that regards. People love choices. No one wants to buy same Camry because it is best selling car. People love to be unique.

    “Gimmicky Android Handsets”? – Really? Are you referring to 50$ cheap android handsets or high end 200$ handsets? Because Android has lots of handsets. If you are comparing an iPhone with a cheap android handset and calling Android handsets as gimmicky then you just proved to me your Tech Journalism or whatever you are known for is pure waste. You are an idiot by not providing proper argument. Your argument has major flaws and can be broken in every way. I am not going into war of Android vs iOS here but I am referring more into general way people think.

    People living in this world like choices and love what Android has done and came up so far. There will be share of people who would like to use iPhone whereas there will be people who like variety in life and don’t want to be monotonous. No one wants to have the same phone as their Grand parents. It would be so much boring to see same iPhone on every carrier.

    “Google tried a multi-carrier approach with the Nexus One and quickly failed, but Apple can and will do it successfully.” – Nexus one’s multi carrier approach failed for certain reasons. The phone was costing over 400 dollars and people in USA don’t think the same way people in Europe think. People in USA wants “cheap”. They don’t mind slogging themselves into two year dreaded contract. Nexus one tried to have phones contract free which iPhone 5 will never provide. Nexus one came up with gutsy new way of thinking phones. I have to at least give that to Google for that. How can you even compare failure of Nexus one to saying Apple will do it successfully? You are talking Apples and Oranges man. Both scenarios are different. Just because carrying same phone of multiple carrier will never be the same as having contract free Nexus one and instead having a choice to select the carrier we want. Think about the possibilities.

    Jonathan Geller, you wrote this pathetic piece of article and BGR should be ashamed of themselves by actually letting it print on their website without any significant reasoning behind the article. I guess anything with buzzword iPhone 5, BGR thinks can let it slide by?

  • Tman2010

    I say lets bring back the Brick phone.  Can take a beating and also be used as a weapon to defend one’s self when thugs on subways try to steal your high end tech devices from your girly like hands while you cry. ;-)

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