Exclusive: Verizon Wireless Prepares for the iPhone

Verizon Wireless Prepares for the iPhone
Verizon Wireless is buttressing its network in the event Apple drops AT&T as the exclusive carrier of its popular smartphone

By Spencer E. Ante

There’s no telling yet whether or when AT&T (T) might lose its position as the sole U.S. carrier of the Apple (AAPL) iPhone. But in the event Apple opts to partner with other mobile-phone service providers, Verizon Wireless says it’s up to the task.

Verizon Wireless has even made upgrades that would make its network more capable of handling extra traffic that would be generated by the iPhone, Verizon Wireless Chief Technology Officer Anthony Melone says in an interview.

“We have put things in place already,” Melone tells Bloomberg BusinessWeek. “We are prepared to support that traffic.”

AT&T has come under fire for the spotty performance of its network. Vexed by dropped calls and slow download speeds, some consumers say the company was unprepared for the surge in traffic that’s resulted from iPhone use. Verizon Wireless in TV commercials has mocked AT&T’s network coverage, and Melone says his company’s equipment would do a better job catering to the heavy data demands of iPhone customers. “Absolutely, I think we could handle it,” he says.

Read the rest of the BusinessWeek story here.

Tags: Anthony Melone, Apple, AT&T, iPhone, Verizon Wireless