Apple And Verizon In iPhone Talks: Report

USA Today is reporting that Apple and Verizon are in "high-level" talks with one another to bring a CDMA version of the iPhone to market come 2010, when Apple's exclusivity deal with AT&T expires. I don't believe it.Citing "people familiar with the situation", USA Today says that the two companies have been talking for several months about bringing the iPhone to Verizon's network. I am highly skeptical of this for several reasons.

Just two weeks ago, Verizon Communications CEO Ivan Seidenberg said that he believed Apple would be open to discussions about bringing an LTE-equipped 4G version of the iPhone to Verizon's network. He also said that Apple never seriously considered building a CDMA version of the iPhone due to CDMA's more limited distribution footprint.

The report from USA Today pretty much conflicts directly with what the head of Verizon has said publicly about the matter.

I can't believe that Apple is suddenly going to deliver a CDMA version of the iPhone when both Apple and Verizon have indicated that there was never any interest in building such a device. If the two companies are talking, it is about an LTE version of the iPhone, not a CDMA version.

Last, during Apple's recently quarterly earnings conference call, the company indicated that it is "happy" with AT&T, which has sole distributor rights to the iPhone in the U.S. It gave no indication that it is planning to alter its arrangement with AT&T, though we know that the contract between the two companies expires in 2010.

As far as I am concerned, there will never be a CDMA version of the iPhone.