VZW & Sprint are in Trouble

Not only is the iPhone being released at the end of June exclusively at AT&T, but because of a ban on Qualcomm chips due to a lost patent fight with Broadcom, no new phones with Qualcomm chips can come into the US. [source] OOPS!

Competing handset makers including LG, HTC, Samsung, and others were expected to provide the other carriers with new models, based on Qualcomm's chips, to compete with the new arrival. Qualcomm chips are used in phones made by companies including Motorola (MOT) and South Korea's LG Electronics. Those handsets in turn are used by customers of such carriers as Sprint Nextel (S) and Verizon Wireless Big cell-phone manufacturers typically introduce 20 to 30 new phones a year, and they usually refresh existing lines at least once a year.

So going into the big fight, Sprint & VZW will only be able to offer the current line of phones. Nothing new. Great time to reminder customers about their contracts and call them all about renewals.