Verizon Making 'iPhone Friendly' Changes To Its Network

The long-rumored, long-awaited Verizon Wireless iPhone may finally be about to happen.

The wireless network is making technical changes that could be in preparation for an iPhone that would run on its network. Currently, AT&T is the exclusive network for the iPhone.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Verizon is making changes to its network so that smartphone users would be able to talk on their phones while accessing the Internet. Currently, it's a capability that AT&T possesses and has promoted heavily, pointing out that Verizon lacks that capability.

 Verizon executive Brian Higgins confirmed to the Journal that the changes are in the works, but said it's not something that has been in demand from Verizon's current subscribers - fueling speculation that the sole reason for doing it is to make Verizon more acceptable to Apple and current iPhone users.

AT&T's network has been the source of many complaints among iPhone users, who cite limited coverage and dropped calls, especially in major cities like New York and Los Angeles.

After months of below the surface rumblings, there are now more persistence reports that Verizon might offer an iPhone early next year.

 Network differences

While Verizon is making some accommodation in its network, chances are a Verizon iPhone would be different in some respects from an AT&T iPhone because of differences in the two carriers.

AT&T's standard is called Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Verizon's is called Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). Some experts think it's inferior to UMTS in some respects and isn't used much outside the U.S. The principal difference, however, is the inability to access both voice and data at the same time, something Verizon is now addressing.

It was just last month that Verizon itself was downplaying the whole notion of a Verizon iPhone. Verizon Communications CEO Ivan Seidenberg, speaking at a Goldman Sachs conference, said little about the iPhone, expect that he hoped Apple would eventually make one for Verizon's 4G network, which will begin to deploy by the end of the year.

But with Verizon customers snapping up smartphones from Motorola and HTC, both of which run Google's Android software, Seidenberg didn't seem to feel the need for an iPhone to keep subscribers happy.

"We don't feel like we have an iPhone deficit. We would love to carry it when we get there, but we have to earn it," Seidenberg said.

Maybe Verizon's current subscribers don't have their heart set on Apple's trendy device, but there may be a competitive reason to jump through a few hoops to break AT&T's monopoly on the iPhone. A September survey by Credit Suisse suggested 23 percent of AT&T customers would become Verizon subscribers if Verizon had an iPhone.