U.S. carrier AT&T is seeking to extend its iPhone exclusivity deal with Apple through 2011, according to a new report.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reports that AT&T’s current iPhone deal expires next year, and that current AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson is now in discussions with Apple to extend it another year. The article goes on to reveal that Stephenson had his technology staff create a custom iPhone application so he can read his internal AT&T financial reports; a stark contrast to his predecessor Ed Whitacre who didn’t even keep a computer on his desk.
Stephenson told the WSJ that with or without the iPhone, the company is planning to invest heavily in new infrastructure to handle new, more bandwidth-hungry services and devices. “This business cycle is going to cycle,” Mr.