Apparently Verizon doesn’t have the same wherewithal as Apple when being lobbed questions by financial analysts during financial calls. During Verizon’s latest quarterly results call, the company let it slip that the iPhone 5 will be a global device, capable of using both CDMA and GSM networks.
If this turns out to be true, and remember, we’re hearing it from Verizon, then it’s likely that the rumored Qualcomm chips capable of providing “world mode” will be included in the device.
Fran Shammo, CFO of Verizon, had this to say during the Verizon Quarterly call,
The fluctuation, I believe, will come when a new device from Apple is launched, whenever that may be, and that we will be, on the first time, on equal footing with our competitors on a new phone hitting the market, which will also be a global device.
Back in March we heard from Enrico Salvatori, Qualcomm’s VP, through an interview conducted by IT Portal. It was revealed that there will no longer be a Verizon-only device from Apple. Instead it was expected that Qualcomm’s MDM6600 would make an appearance in the iPhone 5, much like it has in the iPad 2.
What does this mean for potential iPhone 5 owners?
Well, if Apple lets us, we’ll be able to switch between any carrier we want while at home or abroad, without having to purchase a second phone. Baseband would no longer matter. Instead you would carry on as usual with your phone.
Until recently, users travelling abroad for business or pleasure often found themselves needing to purchase a second phone that could access the local cellular networks. If you owned a GSM iPhone, you would need to buy a CDMA phone when you landed. This news also means that you would be free to switch between Verizon and AT&T networks without having to purchase another phone.
Article Via Electronista
April 21, 2011
iPhone