Speaking during a conference call discussing the company’s Q1 2011 results, Verizon Wireless CFO Fran Shammo hinted that the next iPhone will be a “world phone,” capable of running on both CDMA and GSM networks, according to a Barron’s report. When asked about the Average Revenue Per User (APRU) growth of 2.2 percent in Q1, compared to growth of 2.5 percent in the prior quarter, Shammo replied, “[t]he 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.” The chips Apple used in both the CDMA iPhone 4 and iPad 2 are capable of connecting to CDMA and GSM networks, but Apple chose not to take advantage of the chip’s GSM capabilities, including only CDMA-specific antennas in each device. A true “world phone” iPhone would allow Apple to build only one model of the iPhone, which it could distribute to both CDMA and GSM carriers.
Verizon CFO hints at CDMA + GSM iPhone
Charles Starrett
Charles Starrett was a senior editor at iLounge. He's been covering the iPod, iPhone, and iPad since their inception. He has written numerous articles and reviews, and his work has been featured in multiple publications.