AT&T must be fairly certain that Verizon is announcing that they’re getting the iPhone on Tuesday, judging from how the two carriers have been verbally sparring like kids on a schoolyard in the last few days.
The New York Times is reporting that “the gloves are officially off” between AT&T and Verizon -- after years of being the exclusive caretaker of Apple’s iPhone, AT&T may be having a tough time learning to share its toy with Verizon, who is expected to unveil the iconic device at a media event in New York City today.
The virtual dustup started with AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel, who announced Monday in a company statement, “I’m not sure iPhone users are ready for life in the slow lane” -- a well-timed jab at Verizon’s 3G data network, which has frequently landed in second place when compared to AT&T.
Verizon, perhaps emboldened by the heightened excitement surrounding Tuesday’s announcement, fired back.
“AT&T is known for a lot of things, but network quality is not one of them,” said Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson. “Typically companies try to call attention to their strongest suit,” closing his taunts with, “It must be backwards day at AT&T.”
This certainly isn’t the first time the two telcos have sparred -- AT&T and Verizon both stake claim to the nation’s largest (and/or fastest) 3G network, and they’re not afraid to attack each other via advertising to defend those positions. In reality, coverage and speed is a thorny issue with both carriers -- in some areas, AT&T clearly has the advantage, while Verizon’s map shows that they offer 3G coverage in plenty of rural areas where AT&T barely touches.
The real test for Verizon will be a rush of new iPhone customers, which took AT&T by surprise several years ago and they’ve been playing catch up ever since. Can Verizon handle the load any better than their rival?
“Verizon is awfully confident they won’t have any problems,” concludes Craig Moffett, an analyst with the research firm Sanford C. Bernstein. “But they’ve had a long time to prepare for this.”
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(Image courtesy of Associated Press and AOL)
