Apple says to have Verizon cell sites on its campus

22nd July, 2010 by adina
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During a session dedicated to questions and answers at a recent event, Apple gave a strong clue that it may be testing Verizon devices connected to its network. CEO Steve Jobs was asked why it was impossible to replicate the “death grip” of the iPhone 4 on Apple’s campus and he answered that 1 Infinite Loop benefited from a strong signal thanks to cell sites of AT&T and Verizon on campus.

The statement is important as it is unusual to have dedicated cell towers on the corporate headquarter. Apple has an AT&T site because a strong connection is needed by employees for the iPhone. It seems that Apple needs a similar site for Verizon.

It is not clear whether this is related to possible upcoming hardware. It is believed that Apple has its CDMA skunkworks project which would allow it to produce iPhones for Sprint or Verizon without needing to start everything from scratch. Consequently, Apple may need a Verizon tower regardless of these intentions. However, there are rumors pointing to a Verizon iPhone to be ready next year, maybe sooner. EVDO-based iPads working on Verizon are also expected to come. The exclusivity of AT&T would officially end by 2012, as initially agreed, but it seems Apple has negotiated to exit earlier from this agreement by allowing a temporary exclusivity for the iPad or accepting changes in the way revenue is shared for the iPhone.


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