At least one iPhone analyst sees signs in Apple’s operations of today that operations in the future will not include exclusive iPhone deals for any wireless carrier, ans especially not in the U.S.

Gene Munster, senior research analyst with Piper Jaffray, says in his most recent note to investors that, “For various reasons the company moved from an exclusive relationship with French wireless carrier Orange to a multi-carrier model. In France, the company now enjoys dramatically higher market share (in the 40 percent range vs. about 15 percent in ROW) than in countries with exclusive carrier agreements (such as AT&T in the U.S. where the iPhone has market share in the mid-teens). We believe Apple is seeing the increased unit sell-through more than offset the slightly (~10 percent) deteriorated economics per unit involved in non-exclusive agreements.”

As a part of a larger analysis of the 14 biggest unanswered questions about Apple’s plans, Munster says that he believes that the AT&T exclusive hold on the iPhone in the US will end with the introduction of a new iPhone product in the summer of 2010. Munster, plus a number of other analysts and industry watchers, believe that Apple will make a deal in 2010 with Verizon, whose network is held in much higher esteem by users than is that of AT&T.

Verizon’s president, Denny Strigle, has been heard lately to make complimentary noises about the iPhone and its potential, according to an AppleInsider article. There is talk that Verizon is working very hard to upgrade to a 4G network by the summer of 2010, possibly to be ready for the launch of a new iPhone 4G product at that time. AT&T’s exclusive deal for the iPhone, meanwhile, is in jeopardy because of poor network performance and lack of features, all of which have current iPhone users up in arms.

It is not difficult to imagine a combination of Apple (with the most popular smartphone) and Verizon (with the best U.S. cellular network) being an unbeatable combination in the smartphone marketplace. A deal between these two United States players, when combined with the recent deal Apple has signed with China Unicom for $1.5 billion in iPhones, could send Apples share of the smartphone market through the roof, bringing Apple closer to, or perhaps beyond,  the marks set by RIM and the Blackberry.

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Entry was posted on Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 at 2:11 am under International, Rumor, iPhone.  Print This Post

Read more entries by Michael W. Jones.
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