Kaufman Bros.’s Shaw Wu sent a note to clients today stating that they believe Apple and Verizon are in talks over a CDMA iPhone, and that T-Mobile and Sprint may be in the works:
From our checks with industry and supply chain sources and a recent SEC 10-Q filing by AT&T mentioning that exclusivity with “a number of attractive handsets” could end, we have conviction that the iPhone could likely finally be at another carrier besides AT&T here in the U.S. in 2011 and potentially at Verizon in 2011 or 2012… We believe the argument for AAPL to pursue Verizon sooner than later is to address the growing presence of Android. What better way to do that than where Android has seen the majority of its success?
From our understanding, the Verizon negotiations are not finalized with important details still being ironed out, including technology and economics. We think it is premature to rule out T-Mobile or Sprint (who also uses CDMA but WiMAX for 4G). In addition, there is the possibility of multiple U.S. carriers being signed.
According to MacRumors, it would be a “SVDO” phone, one capable of simultaneous voice and data.
As always, if an analyst says something, it’s usually about as accurate as a coin flip. That said, the evidence keeps mounting, and the rumors are popping up more and more. Verizon iPhone is looking likely for 2011.
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