As if the already existing tech offered by the Cupertino wasn’t overwhelming enough, Apple is reportedly in talks with wireless providers in the US and the UK about launching its own cellular service.
Wait! What?
It might seem like a surprise to few, but for those who have been following the company quite closely, it was just a matter of time for this revelation to be out in the open. There had already been reports stating that the late co-founder of this multibillion company, Steve Jobs, during the unveiling of the original iPhone, was considering building out an entire cell network dedicated to Apple’s flagship handset.
There have also been various patent filings which date back to the pre-iPhone era which indicate that the company has been trying to be at this game for quite a while now.
The filings described a system that would automatically switch between multiple wireless carriers. The concept was basically pointing towards the fact that the first iPhone would be sold by the company contract-free on its own roaming network.
Business Insider reported on Monday that Apple is “privately trialling” a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, service in the US. The approach is, in short, going to be long term. So, don’t expect the company’s cellular service for at least five years hence.
Apple had launched its last year’s iteration of the iPad Air 2 with a proprietary SIM card for cellular connection (the iPad mini 3 is also included now). While the approach was commendable, it didn’t go without criticism as Verizon refused to support the Apple SIM. This led users to buy an LTE iPad from Apple, and then obtain a SIM card separately from Verizon, in the US.
The above example clearly shows that anything Apple may try in the cellular service area will not be taken too well by most leading carriers. Which leads us to a conclusion that carriers like AT&T, Verizon and Sprint may not even consider working with the tech giant on this new long-term project.
There have also been reports of the Apple SIM being launched for the iPhone lineup in the near future. This will surely spark up a lot of concern amongst carriers around the world.
With Google already working on its own MVNO code-named Project Fi which is only available for the Nexus 6 smartphone in the US featuring a “pay what you use” data billing policy, it is exciting to note that most tech companies are taking the MNVO service to the next level.
