AT&T Discusses Renewing Exclusivity Contract for iPhone
Posted 04/15/2009 at 3:11pm
| by Florence Ion
AT&T’s
exclusivity contract with Apple will expire next year; however, the mobile network giant is working to extend it to 2011.
The
Wall Street Journal reports that, “AT&T's exclusive deal to carry the iPhone in the U.S. expires next year, according to people familiar with the matter, and [Randall] Stephenson is now in discussions with Apple Inc. to get an extension until 2011.”
The exact length of exclusivity cannot be accurately defined since intial reports claim as far out as 2012, but most recent reports confirm the 2010 date.
AT&T has benefitted exponentially from exclusively offering the iPhone, including attracting 4.3 million iPhone subscribers in 2008, with about 40% of them being brand new contracts. If Apple and AT&T do not reach an agreement, that could open up the iPhone to other U.S. carriers, maybe even CDMA ones.
