Sprint to Get iPhone 5

But new Apple phone won't be here until October, sources say
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 24, 2011 1:57 AM CDT
Sprint to Get iPhone 5
The iPhone deal is expected to boost foot traffic in Sprint stores.   (AP Photo/Eric J. Shelton)

The iPhone 5 will be available on Sprint's network as well as Verizon's and AT&T's when the new phone is launched, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal. The device will hit the market in mid-October, not next month as many had expected, the sources say. The iPhone 5 deal will provide a major boost for the nation's third-largest carrier, whose bottom line had suffered without the ability to sell iPhones, analysts say.

The deal, however, could end up backfiring on Sprint if it improves AT&T's chances of getting the green light from regulators to buy T-Mobile USA. Verizon ditched its unlimited plans not long after it launched its version of the iPhone 4 earlier this year, notes Roger Cheng at CNET, who recommends that Sprint users hop on unlimited data plans now to get "grandfathered in" before the Sprint iPhone arrives. (More Sprint stories.)

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