Apple signed on with Cingular prior to ATT's acquisition. I doubt very much there was a big stack of cash waved up front. What there may have been was a really good subsidy and bonus model and of course, as mentioned, the huge benefits of a GSM network.

Tony, you don't think Apple could have come out with an aPhone that ran the same software as the iPhone but didn't violate the agreement with Cingular/ATT? I don't think the exclusivity contract would have stood in the way if Apple saw a large enough benefit to having previously supported Verizon.

Verizon and the other US carriers need to roll out new networks. Bell has done just this in Canada, bringing along Telus for the ride. Once the exclusivity is over, I'm confident we'll still see Apple selling a single handset. This seems to be working quite well for Apple so far.