Apple is expected to start selling the iPhone 5 simultaneously with three of the Big Four mobile operators in the USA, Sprint being reported to join AT&T and Verizon for a mid-October launch.
Per the Wall Street Journal, Sprint, the number 3 carrier in the US, will start selling the fifth-generation iPhone this fall, giving Apple access to an important new channel for selling its iconic device in America. Sprint currently has just over 52 million subscribers compared to Verizon’s 106 million and AT&T’s 99 million.
Since the launch of the first iPhone in 2007, Apple has slowly shifted its policy regarding its carrier partners both nationally and internationally, replacing exclusive iPhone carrier deals with partnerships with multiple mobile operators in various markets around the world.
America was the last market to lose carrier exclusivity. In the U.S., the iPhone was originally available only from AT&T until Verizon started selling a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 in February of this year. Rumors have suggested that Sprint and T-Mobile would be next in line to carry the iPhone, with a recent job posting revealing Apple’s specific interest in a future collaboration with Sprint.
Like Verizon, Sprint would require a CDMA version of iPhone 5, although a number of reports have provided evidence that Apple’s next-gen smartphone will come with “World Phone” capabilities. A dual-mode GSM/CDMA iPhone 5 running iOS 5 has already been noticed in app usage logs by developers, for instance. Sprint is also said to begin carrying a CDMA iPhone 4 starting with the same date.
In the quarter ending in June, Sprint has posted a loss of subscribers on comparison with its main rivals, AT&T and Verizon, which gained more customers partly due to their strong iPhone sales. However the addition of the iPhone to Sprint’s lineup will not have any impact on the company’s fiscal fourth quarter ending in September.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.