“Verizon Wireless has even made upgrades that would make its network more capable of handling extra traffic that would be generated by the iPhone, Verizon Wireless Chief Technology Officer Anthony Melone says in an interview,” Ante reports.
MacDailyNews Take: Oh, yeah? Did you replace your outlier CDMA with GSM, so at least we can talk and surf the Web at the same time like we can on AT&T?
Ante continues, “‘We have put things in place already,’ Melone tells Bloomberg BusinessWeek. ‘We are prepared to support that traffic.’ …Melone says his company’s equipment would do a better job catering to the heavy data demands of iPhone customers. ‘Absolutely, I think we could handle it,’ he says.”
“Melone didn’t address the prospect of landing a deal to carry the iPhone, though Verizon Wireless officials have in the past said they occasionally discuss partnerships with Apple executives,” Ante reports. “Earlier this year, the companies were considering releasing iPhone-like devices that would run on the Verizon Wireless network, people familiar with the matter said.”
Ante reports, “In fairness, the iPhone does seem to be imposing exceptional demands on AT&T. In the two years since the iPhone’s debut, data traffic on AT&T’s network has soared 5,000%. By contrast, Melone says Verizon’s traffic has also been growing rapidly but at a slower pace. When asked to specify the growth rate, Melone said that over the last three years Verizon’s traffic has grown as high as 1,000% year over year. But he declined to provide more details. Even so, Melone says the company is ready for the deluge should Verizon Wireless land a deal with Apple for the iPhone. ‘We will handle it if we ever get it,’ says Melone.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s all very easy for Verizon to say before the fact and knowing that they’ll never have to face the full brunt of iPhone’s U.S. traffic demands as has AT&T Mobility.
