In addition to carrying the iPhone, Verizon Wireless will sell a version of the iPad that can connect directly to its CDMA network.
Verizon will get an embedded chip in the iPad for use on its network, Francis Shammo, chief financial officer of Verizon Communications, the parent of the wireless unit, said in an interview, reports “Bloomberg Businessweek” (http://macte.ch/6Hchs).. IPad users currently need an extra device to connect to Verizon’s network. Shammo didn’t say when the change may happen.
Verizon Wireless, the biggest U.S. mobile-phone carrier, began selling the iPad in its stores in a package with its credit card-sized Wi-Fi device in October for US$629.99 to $829.99. Apple, which introduced the iPad in April, offers versions of the tablet that connect directly to AT&T’s network.
Most of the phones in the US use GSM or CDMA technologies. AT&T, which has previously been the exclusive wireless carrier for Apple in the US, uses GSM, as does T-Mobile. Verizon, Sprint, and smaller carriers such as such as MetroPCS and U.S. Cellular use CDMA.