Verizon

A series of comments expressed by Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall on Friday have garnered a fair amount of attention over the weekend. Key among these is Marshall's claim that AT&T's exclusive agreement to distribute the iPhone in the U.S. will expire in June 2010, opening the door for other carriers to begin offering the device. Marshall's comments specifically point to Verizon as a carrier with which Apple would likely look to partner, with rumors of revised iPhone hardware capable of running on Verizon's network suggesting that a late 2010 launch could be possible.

Since AT&T's request to have Verizon's ads temporarily pulled from the air has been denied, AT&T has begun airing their own commercials to respond to Verizon. The ad features a quizzical Luke Wilson pointing out which company has the fastest 3G network, the ability talk and surf at the same time, access to over 100,000 apps, and more.

Honestly, I'm not too sure if AT&T should start throwing some of these claims around; they may have a counter-lawsuit coming their way. Maybe Luke should have just asked "which network has the iPhone?" Ad follows below!

A federal judge has denied AT&T's request to temporarily block Verizon Wireless from airing advertisements comparing coverage maps for Verizon's and AT&T's 3G data networks. AT&T argued that the ads were "misleading," as some would misinterpret AT&T's comparatively sparse 3G coverage map as a map of their actual network, making it appear that there was no service available in those areas not covered on the map.

It's sort of like putting feuding siblings in the same room, but without the hope for eventual reconciliation. Earlier this month, wireless carrier AT&T filed suit against rival Verizon over a series of Verizon commercials attacking AT&T's wireless network, claiming that the ads were "blatantly false and misleading". Late Monday, it was reported that Verizon had filed a 53-page legal response to the lawsuit, and taken the opportunity to focus the case on what it claims is AT&T's failure to commit the resources to build out its network appropriately.

Considering getting a Blackberry or Droid on Verizon's network, but unsure if you'll want to jump ship and trade it for an iPhone once you do? Either hurry or forget it, because Verizon is doubling their early termination fees starting at the beginning of next week.

It's no secret that AT&T is upset by Verizon's latest ad campaign, "There's a Map for That," which points out the huge difference in 3G coverage between the two networks, having requested the courts force them to change the ads. Now AT&T has issued a public statement in an attempt to "set the record straight about AT&T's wireless data coverage."

Additional evidence pointing to a Verizon Wireless iPhone appears to have surfaced on Thursday, as CDMA inventor Qualcomm announced official plans to release new dual-carrier chips that would enable future phones to work on both its own CDMA/EVDO carrier partners such as Verizon and Sprint, as well as rival 3GPP carriers using UMTS/HSPA+ technologies such as AT&T and T-Mobile. The new chips also provide future support for LTE, the next generation 3GPP standard that most carriers plan to begin testing for deployment globally over the next few years.
However, an analyst has cited sources within Qualcomm in stating that although the company would like to have a dual-mode handset ready in 2010, that would likely be impossible.

Northwest Securities is corroborating rumors that Apple's next iPhone for 2010 will support both CDMA and WCDMA wireless data network technologies, as well as the international standard, HSPA. The change would allow the device to operate on non-GSM wireless companies in the US, including Verizon, the nation's largest cellular network provider, and still work in foreign countries that only have GSM networks.

AT&T is up in arms over Verizon's latest jab at the iPhone-AT&T duo, a TV ad called "There's A Map For That." The ad directly parodies Apple's series of "There's an App For That" ads that features different apps in the App Store. Unfortunately for AT&T, their argument basically amounts to the notion that Verizon's ad might confuse stupid people who aren't paying attention.

Wireless carrier Verizon today reported mixed results for its summer quarter and reiterated its invitation to Apple to allow the company to act as a wireless carrier. Per Electronista, the carrier said its operating revenue grew year-over-year by more than 10% to $27.3 billion but that its actual earnings per shared dropped a sharp 30.5% from 59 cents per share a year ago to 41 cents today, or $2.88 billion. Most of the growth came about from added cellphone and FiOS customers.