U.S. Regional Carriers Announcing October 1 Launch Date for iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c [Update: Canada Too]

[MacRumors]

While Apple has yet to announce a schedule or country list for its second major round of iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launches, the company does appear to be coordinating a minor expansion of availability for Tuesday, October 1, with a number of smaller regional U.S. carriers announcing plans to launch the devices on that date.

Carriers involved in the October 1 launch include:

- Appalachian Wireless
- Bluegrass Cellular
- C Spire
- Cellcom
- GCI
- MTA
- Nex-Tech Wireless
- Ntelos
- Strata

Several other regional carriers have announced that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are "coming soon" and some of those carriers may also be participating in the October 1 rollout, but they have not announced their exact launch dates yet.

Apple has gradually expanded availability of the iPhone on regional carriers throughout the United States in recent years, with over 25 U.S. carriers now offering the device.

Update: Canadian regional carriers also appear to be participating in the October 1 launch, with MTS announcing its launch a short time ago. SaskTel lists the new iPhones as "coming soon", but representatives have so far only said on Twitter and Facebook that the carrier is still working out launch details.

Update 2: SaskTel has now officially announced that it too will begin selling the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c on October 1.

Update 3: Alaska Communications has also announced that it will begin selling the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c beginning on October 1.

Article Link: U.S. Regional Carriers Announcing October 1 Launch Date for iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c [Update: Canada Too]

 

[Joe-Diver]

The more the merrier!

 

[rdy0329]

So That's why

So that's why Apple can't fulfill more orders for nationwide carriers because they're stockpiling for regional carriers. I bet my iPhone is still raw materials. (got the october ship date).

 

[KPOM]

So that's why Apple can't fulfill more orders for nationwide carriers because they're stockpiling for regional carriers. I bet my iPhone is still raw materials. (got the october ship date).

Not necessarily. Most of them are CDMA carriers and have very small distribution. C-Spire reportedly had difficulty meeting its target of 500,000 sales its first year.

 

[dugbug]

Gene Munster is sharpening his pencil.....
"Apple expands sales in effort to move backlog"

 

[iGrip]

If those regional carriers carry the free and cheap models of the iPhone, I expect that they will sell boatloads.

 

[dvoros]

iphone launch

Don't count on getting any iphones. They are non-existent. Apple produced very few around the world and is now taking your money for a phone that may come out in November. This sucks and Apple sucks.

 

[MacGeek1987]

waiting for aio wireless to announce the 5s....

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Don't count on getting any iphones. They are non-existent. Apple produced very few around the world and is now taking your money for a phone that may come out in November. This sucks and Apple sucks.

So... very few=9 million in your mind?

 

[TWSS37]

Remember the good old days where we would post how Apple didn't need to be on these regional carriers and LOL at the people who used them?

 

[PeterQVenkman]

When that 5S comes to straight talk, I'm jumping on it.

 

[machpost]

Interesting that U.S. Cellular, easily the largest regional carrier in the country, still refuses to do business with Apple.

 

[everything-i]

Don't count on getting any iphones. They are non-existent. Apple produced very few around the world and is now taking your money for a phone that may come out in November. This sucks and Apple sucks.

Right 9 million sold in 3 days, a very small number.

 

[howyoudoin]

Don't count on getting any iphones. They are non-existent. Apple produced very few around the world and is now taking your money for a phone that may come out in November. This sucks and Apple sucks.

Can't tell if your sarcastic but not the case at all. My Apple store in St Louis, MO got over 2000 iPhone's at launch then the following Monday they got another shipment and the employee who was selling me my wife's 5s said the shipment was pretty close to the launch shipment. He said there was a line all day (I got there at 4pm) and they still had them in stock.

 

[PeterQVenkman]

Can't tell if your sarcastic but not the case at all. My Apple store in St Louis, MO got over 2000 iPhone's at launch then the following Monday they got another shipment and the employee who was selling me my wife's 5s said the shipment was pretty close to the launch shipment. He said there was a line all day (I got there at 4pm) and they still had them in stock.

3 people in my office have their iPhone 5s already.

 

[Tankmaze]

Gold seems like the "official" 5s color, I like it.

 

[RedGeminiPA]

waiting for aio wireless to announce the 5s....

When that 5S comes to straight talk, I'm jumping on it.

Why AIO, or Straight Talk for that matter? You can now get AT&T-LTE compatible SIM cards for Straight Talk and Net10. Even the official Straight Talk iPhone 5 doesn't support LTE (Verizon).

I've been using Net10. I ordered my iPhone 5S unlocked from Apple, and I'll be using it on Net10. I'll have to order the updated LTE SIM card, but that's only $5. The only downfall is no MMS without the SIM-swap trick, but I can live without it. Most everyone I know has an iPhone w/ iMessage, so no big deal.

 

[chrisbru]

Don't count on getting any iphones. They are non-existent. Apple produced very few around the world and is now taking your money for a phone that may come out in November. This sucks and Apple sucks.

That's weird, I'm using one right now that I purchased by walking into a Best Buy 20 minutes after it opened. And my friends that ordered on the 20th that were quoted October shipping dates received theirs yesterday.

 

[arom]

Good job Apple, you can't even fulfill your current carrier launch!! Just going to add more pissed off people to the list...

 

[VINOBEAN]

Expanding huh .. So why they take the availability to see what's in stock online .. And why they carriers still don't have any in stock but apple store does .. There marketing needs some help! My iPhone 5 shouldn't take all the way until end of October to get to me ..

 

[chrisbru]

Interesting that U.S. Cellular, easily the largest regional carrier in the country, still refuses to do business with Apple.

Seriously what is this? They announced earlier this year that they would be carrying "iPhone Products later in 2013." The gf has been holding off getting a new phone because I keep telling her it will be worth the wait for an iPhone (she hates her Galaxy), but if there is no announcement by Oct. 1 I might just tell her to go for an Android :/

 

[Benski007]

Interesting that U.S. Cellular, easily the largest regional carrier in the country, still refuses to do business with Apple.

U.S. Cellular announced earlier this year that they signed an agreement with Apple to carry the iPhone. They will be carrying the 5s, 5c, and 4s. They have not given any specific launch date yet. All they have said previously was "by the end of the year" and have lately started saying "very soon". I think they are waiting until their LTE expansion has progressed a little more.

 

[MikhailT]

Seriously what is this? They announced earlier this year that they would be carrying "iPhone Products later in 2013." The gf has been holding off getting a new phone because I keep telling her it will be worth the wait for an iPhone (she hates her Galaxy), but if there is no announcement by Oct. 1 I might just tell her to go for an Android :/

If you read the latest comments on their Facebook page, it appears they're making progress and may have the iPhone within the next few weeks based on what people were told by USC.

 

[chrisbru]

If you read the latest comments on their Facebook page, it appears they're making progress and may have the iPhone within the next few weeks based on what people were told by USC.

Nice, thanks for this link. I've been googling "US Cellular iPhone" daily, but didn't think to check FB.

 

[leerichards1]

Here's hoping that other countries will get their launch dates soon