IT'S OFFICIAL! VERIZON GETS AN iPHONE!

Sorry AT&T! Verizon is finally getting in on the iPhone action.

Verizon Wireless says it will start selling a version of the iPhone 4 early next month, finally giving millions of users a choice of carriers. For the past four years, Apple's iPhone has been sold exclusively for AT&T's network in the U.S.

More good news: Verizon seekers won't have to wait too long. Sales are to begin Feb. 10, with preorders starting Feb. 3.

The price will be $200 or $300 with a two-year contract, depending on the model, about the same as the iPhone through AT&T.

Verizon would seem to be the big winner after its expected announcement, breaking Apple's four-year monogamous relationship with AT&T.

For several reasons, Verizon's gains won't be as clear-cut - but advantages may be clearer for consumers.

Since the iPhone's debut in 2007, AT&T has been its exclusive distributor in the U.S. The carrier activated 11.1 million iPhones in the first nine months of 2010, the latest figures available.

However, after today, that uptick could slow. Tech analysts' estimates for Verizon's iPhone sales this year vary widely, from 5 million to 13 million - and some of that would come from what AT&T would have sold.

Many analysts estimate Verizon would be the largest seller of iPhones in the U.S. this year, outdoing AT&T as it satisfies pentup demand. Yet several factors may give prospective Verizon iPhone buyers pause.

Verizon has been touting its new, blazing-fast, fourth-generation network. But indications are that the first Verizon iPhone would only work on the older, third-generation network. It has wide coverage, excellent reliability and less congestion than AT&T's, but data speeds are much lower. You also can't talk and surf at the same time with Verizon 3G phones. These factors give AT&T openings.

Also, Apple has launched a new iPhone model every summer. Presumably, an iPhone 5 is coming. But it's not clear when Verizon would get it. The carrier may be on the same one-year upgrade cycle, so Verizon may have to wait until January and leave AT&T with the advantage of a fresher model in the fall.

Most importantly, cell-phone companies do their best to tie up subscribers with contracts, limiting their mobility. AT&T executives last year noted that most of its iPhone users are on family and employer plans - more difficult for an individual to switch.

"The consensus is that AT&T is reasonably well-prepared for Verizon's iPhone onslaught ... for now," analyst Craig Moffett said.

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