As we once again enter the iPhone 5 breach, one would do well to keep their grains of salt at the ready, but the Business Insider reports that Sprint will be among the few carriers to sell the iPhone 5.
The news is something of a coup for Sprint, the nation’s third largest wireless service provider. If true, it could provide a stay of execution for a company that would otherwise be facing Verizon and AT&T/T-Mobile without a Cupertino trump card. Sprint’s stock has already jumped due to the news, although at last glance it seems to be returning to pre-announcement levels.
Like Verizon, the backbone of Sprint’s network runs on the CDMA standard. Rather than manufacture a different iPhone for each carrier, the possibililty of Sprint selling the iPhone 5 lends a bit of credence to news of the device’s dual-network nature.
Sources also report that instead of the hoped-for September release window, the iPhone 5 may instead see the light of day later in October.
This story is currently developing, please refresh for updates as they happen.
Update: The Wall Street Journal’s article has gone live, and has fleshed out a few of the more salient details: the iPhone 4 will reportedly be sold alongside the iPhone 5 on Sprint. Additionally, what scant details WSJ has on the iPhone 5’s appearance indicate that the new handset will “be thinner and lighter with an improved digital camera.”