According to Boy Genius Report, there’s “a pretty intriguing block of code” found within Apple’s latest mobile operating system, iOS 4. Apparently this code determines the network the device is connecting to, “and if the device is either a CDMA iPhone or iPad 2, the device will auto-activate,” in the interest of being able to test it without having to go through the steps of activating it with a carrier.
The key here is the “CDMA” part, which stands for code division multiple access—the protocol that the Verizon network uses to handle its communications. The current iPhone runs on AT&T, which is a GSM network—GSM stands for Global System for Mobile communications.
So whenever anyone catches wind of CDMA and iPhone in the same sentence, it’s “Here comes the Verizon iPhone!!!” The problem is that, for starters, there are many, many, many CDMA-based mobile operators all over the world. In the US, we have Sprint and Verizon as the two dominant CDMA networks along with a handful of smaller regional carriers.
While it’s not out of the realm of possibility that we’ll see a Verizon iPhone someday, keep in mind that all the CDMA talk could just point to an iPhone to be released on a CDMA network somewhere else in the world.
More on Techland:
Verizon’s Upcoming Roadmap Leaked, Lots of Android, No Mention of iPhone
Bloomberg’s Sources Say Verizon iPhone In January
Verizon: “No Plans to Carry the iPhone in the Immediate Future”