Comments on: Verizon Wireless shortens exclusive cell phone deals

Largest wireless service provider in the U.S. says that it will limit the amount of time it offers phones exclusively, aiming to ensure smaller carriers get access to them, too.

[mordyk]

While in principle I agree that every individual should have the option of any phone on any network, I do appreciate the fact that for now exclusivity deals are an important factor in the wireless business, it is remains unfair to smaller carrier customers to have to wait even 6 months. I suggest a compromise of giving small carriers a mandated and enforceable option of aligning themselves with one of the large carriers and gain rights to sell any of the phones the larger partner has managed to secure exclusive selling rights.

[Renegade Knight]

Since wirless is rapidly replacing land lines, it's too bad the FCC didn't impose the same rules. Any phone must plug into any system. It would let the carriers compete entirly on their service. Quite frankly their services are overpriced and suck. A little competition on a level playing field would do the consumer some good.

Left alone, Business will alwasy strive to warp the playing field to their advantage. Some succede.

[Nocturnex]

I can say ATT will be the least likely to want to cooperate with this being that the iphone is a huge source of revenue from the outlandish contracts with it, also the fact that with the exclusivity of it they gain an obvious edge over competitors. How many People do you know that switched to ATT just for the iphone off the TOP OF MY HEAD i can think of at least 20.

[ewsachse]

The iPhone is not that huge of a source of revenue. They sell more cheaper "talk only" and other "smartphones" than they do iPhones.

Anecdotal evidence is not scientific, not is all the lovefest for Apple from C/net and Wired.

Only hard sales numbers count, and the iPhone, while popular, is not at the top of the list.

[CrashPad63]

ewsachse, damn straight Iphone sales really benefit Apple only. ATT is paying a huge premium for the priveledge. LMFAO

All the btching about exclusivity deals is ridiculous. If you live somewhere that ATT doesn't service it's just tough luck. What entitles people to get whatever they want? If no one would sell phones to MetroPCS, Cricket, Boost Mobile etc. then maybe that would be something to look into. The fact is that these small carriers have phone available to them many of which are quite decent. The plans on these smaller carriers are generally a lot less along with the size of their coverage areas. It would stand to reason that they wouldn't have all the best phones available on their network either.

Stop whining. Y'all are a bunch of babies who's parents probably never told you no. America is supposed to be capitalistic not communistic. Communists want everything to be equal and fair for everyone which does nothing but destroy an economy and the people in it.

[Renegade Knight]

You sound like a libertarian, or an anarchist. Either way you don't really understand poltiical systems, governments, and communism. Nor would you listen to the truth. I'll give you one nugget of it though just in case I'm wrong. The Soviet Union was socialist. Power concentrated in the hands of the government and in the government a few people controlled it. It was the socialism that destroyed the economy. Much like business would do in the USA if the government (which has fogotten they have a job to do for it's citizens) doesn't regulate the capitalism for the health of the country and it's citizens.

A well regulated wirelss industry would have multiple wireless companies competing on service, and we could buy our own phone at the corner phone store and use it on any carier. That would also encourage more phone makers to sell use better phones for less. We don't have that latter thing here, and we only have part of the former.

[libertyforall1776]

Good to see them taking some corporate responsibility! Just goes to show, everyone does not need to run to the government to solve every problem!

[cmhasan]

In my experience with AT&T in cell phone, land line, international calling plan, calling card etc for last 8 years or so I can say AT&T is the most disonest big company. iPhone is big deal for AT&T and without it it would not survive. After talking to several AT&T customer service depatrment for a dispute I can say they can go to any extent to monopolize anything they can.