Verizon is working on simultaneous voice and data capability for its smartphones, reportedly in anticipation of carrying the iPhone in 2011, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Verizon Wireless is reportedly prepping its network to transmit simultaneous
voice and data, in anticipation of carrying the iPhone in early 2011.
However, Verizon executive Brian Higgins gave the Wall Street Journal no
idea of when such capability would be active on the company's network. "I
think there are fringe cases where something like that could be terribly
important,"
the
newspaper quoted him as saying Oct. 9. "For the vast majority of
customers, I don't think it's a terribly important use case."
The Journal has insisted for days that a Verizon-ready iPhone will appear
within the next few months, citing sources apparently in talks with Apple. Not
to be outdone,
The New
York Times ran an Oct. 8 story about the smartphone's apparently imminent
arrival on Verizon, referencing "a person who is in direct contact
with Apple."
For months, rumors have circulated that Apple intends to break its iPhone
exclusivity with AT&T and release the smartphone to other carriers in the United
States. In August, for example, TechCrunch
reported that Apple was negotiating with manufacturers over parts for a Verizon
phone, with a tentative launch date of early 2011.
"Sources with knowledge of this entire situation have assured me that
Apple has submitted orders for millions of units with Qualcomm CDMA chipsets
for a Verizon iPhone run due in December,"
read
that Aug. 8 TechCrunch posting. "This production run would likely be
for a January launch, and I'd bet the phone is nearly 100 [percent] consistent
with the current iPhone 4 (with a fixed insulator on the antenna)."
AT&T's public documents suggest a company prepping itself to lose its
lock on the iPhone. "We believe offering a wide variety of handsets
reduces the dependence on any single handset as these products evolve,"
the carrier wrote in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing for the
quarter ended June 30. "In addition, offering a number of attractive
handsets on an exclusive basis distinguishes us from our competitors."
It has been generally assumed that the "dependence on any single
handset" mention is a reference to the iPhone. Apple executives have
remained characteristically tight-lipped about carrier plans for their flagship
device, even as their counterparts at Verizon regularly talk up their network's
ability to handle the increased demand that would come with a horde of
data-hungry iPhone users. Although AT&T has seen its revenues buoyed by the
iPhone's presence in their smartphone lineup, the resulting strain on its
network has resulted in a high level of user complaints.
However, AT&T does like to boast of its network's ability to carry
simultaneous voice and data.
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