It only took Verizon Wireless a few months after launching its version of the iPhone 4 before it opted to apply similar data caps. Sprint will also carry the iPhone 4, starting at the same time, one person familiar with the situation said. While Apple unveiled the iPhone 4 at its June developers' conference last year, its successor wasn't ready in time for this year, according to a person briefed on Apple's product plans.
– 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.