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Verizon Eases Exclusivity Agreements in Compromise with Smaller Carriers

3:18 pm on July 17, 2009 | Category: Business, Cell Phones, Regulation, Wireless

American cell phone giant, Verizon Wireless, has agreed to ease the terms of its exclusive handset agreements, allowing smaller carriers the opportunity to access new handsets more quickly.

Verizon has exclusive deals to sell a number of handsets, including the BlackBerry Storm and several devices from LG and Samsung, but the company now says it will allow competitors with less than 500,000 subscribers to start selling such devices within six months of when they are launched.

Verizon made the compromise after learning that the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Senate were investigating exclusivity agreements in the wireless industry to determine their effect on competition.

It is unclear whether Verizon’s main rival, AT&T (the exclusive U.S. carrier of the Apple iPhone), will follow suit anytime soon.

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