Now that the worst-kept secret in the wireless industry is a reality, iPhone fans opting for Verizon Wireless will get access to the network widely considered — and marketed as — the most reliable in the U.S. But they will lose out on the ability to make calls and surf the web at the same time.
Verizon’s code division multiple access (CDMA) network doesn’t support simultaneous voice and data, as does the High-Speed Download Packet Access (HSPDA) network used by AT&T, which until now has been the exclusive iPhone carrier in the U.S.
While millions will surely snap up the CDMA iPhone from Verizon and Apple stores when it becomes available on Feb. 10, some fans of the app-heavy handset may see a dilemma. “I guess it’s a trade-off between fewer dropped calls and simultaneous voice and data,” said analyst Ken Dulaney of Gartner Research.
Wi-Fi Hot Spot, But Not 4G
Verizon will begin pre-orders of the CDMA iPhone on Feb. 3 for current customers. It won’t be compatible with the carrier’s new high-speed Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G network, and will be priced at $199 for the 16-gigabyte model, or $299 for the 32GB model.
A two-year data plan is required, but Verizon officials who launched the device at New York’s Lincoln Center on Tuesday declined to say whether the company will offer new pricing options. Current data plans are $15 for 150 megabytes of data or $30 for an unlimited plan.
“This is an important step for the industry as two great companies join forces to give wireless customers one of the most important technological additions to the mobile landscape this century,” said Lowell McAdam, president and CEO of Verizon Communications, the parent of Verizon Wireless along with Vodafone Group.
Apple COO Tim Cook, who also attended the event, said “Verizon Wireless customers…