Court documents have confirmed that the exclusive deal between AT&T and Apple was for five years, a timeframe that was reported–though unconfirmed–by a USA Today report three years ago. Engadget now has put the pieces together and excerpted parts of the court documents in its own post to confirm the earlier USA Today report.
The revelation would normally imply that there are two years left on that contract but, before anyone goes giving up on the iPhone coming to another carrier anytime soon, it’s important to note that contracts can be altered or dissolved before their expiration dates and that Apple and AT&T likely renegotiated the terms surrounding the iPhone when they hammered out an agreement around the iPad.
Read more of “Apple, AT&T had five-year exclusive iPhone deal but have the terms since changed?” at ZDNet’s Between the Lines.