Rumor: Verizon Wireless prepares for the iPhone

Call it wishful thinking or evidence of the inevitable, but BusinessWeek is reporting that Verizon is bolstering its network in preparation for the iPhone.

Verizon Wireless Chief Technology Officer Anthony Melone recently told Bloomberg BusinessWeek that the company is ready for the extra traffic that the iPhone would bring. "We have put things in place already. We are prepared to support that traffic."

The iPhone begins its third year in the US with many customers dissatisfied with AT&T's performance. At the same time, Verizon's wireless service is praised by customers. In fact, a recent Consumer Reports survey asked 50,000 readers across 26 U.S. cities to rank cell service providers on a variety of scales. Verizon came out ahead in 19 of the 26 cities, while AT&T was dead last.

In current ad campaigns (first challenged by AT&T which then relented), Verizon claims to have superior national 3G coverage. Rumors of AT&T losing iPhone exclusivity to Verizon aren't new, but for now, they're just that.

I recently spent time in the middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania, where my iPhone fell silent while the Verizon phones in attendance worked perfectly. One man's anecdote isn't evidence of anything, but I was definitely jealous of the other users' experiences, and that was a first.