According to a report from a leading newspaper which cited two unnamed people as its sources, the next update for the iPhone line of smartphones, the iPhone 5, will be available on Sprint Nextel by mid-October. Sprint is the third wireless carrier in the US to have become a distributor of Apple’s popular iPhones, and it is also on course of remaining the only provider offering iPhones with an unlimited data service for a flat monthly rate if it doesn’t decide to change its current wireless data plans.
The device will also be sold by AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless at around the same time, according to the sources. There was no comment from the spokespersons of any of the three wireless carriers and no one from Apple was available for a statement.
If the iPhone 5 launches in mid-October, it will be in line with Verizon’s announcement in July when the carrier said that it will release the new Apple smartphone in fall this year. Both AT&T and Verizon currently sell the iPhone 4; however these carriers have done away with the flat fee monthly data charges for unlimited usage and are now charging more from customers whose usage of the services is higher than the others. The shares of Sprint closed 10.1% up on Tuesday.
It is expected that an iPhone offered with unlimited data usage will aid Sprint, as the subscribers of the company have been leaving it for its rivals, in achieving net additions to its user base again, according to an analyst. An analyst named Michael Nelson said that in addition to the focus of the company on its unlimited data services, the new iPhone should drive its subscriber growth back up.
Analysts have long argued that it was sensible for Apple to increase its distribution space to include Sprint, as Sprint and Verizon both use the same technology in their networks. For a long time Sprint’s executives have been stating that the carrier would like to sell the iPhone; however, none had ever confirmed that the company was in consultation with Apple for doing so.
If Sprint starts providing the iPhone this October, T-Mobile USA, the fourth largest wireless provider in the US, will be the only national operator in the US which doesn’t have the rights to sell the smartphone. However, the operator is currently looking to get its merger with AT&T subject to approval by federal regulators.
