The iPhone has been an exclusive handset with AT&T since it launched. We are now seeing the 4th Generation of the iPhone and people are clamoring for this device to be made available on other cellular networks like Verizon.
The reason for this outcry is because of AT&T’s spotty 3G coverage. Their voice coverage is very significant and laid out but their data coverage is sporadic and leaves many customers annoyed and upset. You have probably seen the commercials Battle of the Coverage Maps: Verizon vs. AT&T. There are people who even believe that the new data caps that AT&T is imposing is in response to heavy usage that iPhone users put on their network. While AT&T has seen tremendous growth because of this device and plenty of new customers have signed up their reputation has suffered a black eye.
The biggest reason the iPhone is not on a different network is because of the differences in network design. I’ll spare you the abbreviations and technical jargon but needless to say in order for the iPhone to be on any one else’s network it would require Apple to put in a new chip and redesign the handset.
What do you think of the iPhone and would it matter if it was on Verizon? Is AT&T better or worse off for dishing out the large sums of money to keep the iPhone exclusive to their network?
