Verizon Network 'Prepared' For Apple DevicesVerizon Network 'Prepared' For Apple Devices

Back in October, Verizon Communications' CEO Ivan Seidenberg indicated he would welcome an Apple device for his Verizon Wireless unit, but the decision was "exclusively in Apple's court."

Next week, Apple's decision will become known when chief executive Steve Jobs is expected to unveilthe firm's long-awaited tablet and, possibly, a version of the iPhone, for Verizon.

Verizon could be Apple's most-favored supplier, because of the strength of its network, particularly when that network is compared to AT&T's, which is strained by heavy usage from its exclusive iPhone offering.

Although he didn't mention Apple by name, Verizon' Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam made it clear earlier this week that the Verizon Wireless network is up to any task -- and that could include an Apple tablet or iPhone.

"I know there has been a lot of speculation over usage caps and those sorts of things," said McAdam in a statement. "We don't feel we are in a position to need to worry about that at this point. The network is strong and getting stronger, and as LTE rolls out, our cost per megabyte [drops] dramatically. So we are about market penetration at this point."

Verizon Wireless is expected to unveil its 4G LTE network in 25 to 30 cities by September. Until then, McAdam indicated the Verizon Wireless 3G CDMA is robust enough for any new sophisticated devices.

McAdam said the organization has been testing network stress on its new Google DROID handset. He indicated that the network is "well prepared" for the stress that is similar to the network demands created by iPhone users.

"Our network is very strong on a day-by-day basis," McAdam said at an analysts meeting. "It's very strong when there is stress put on the network, so the fact that customers are using these phones -- we verified all of this pricing when we knew what the usage was around the DROID and other devices like it. So we have projected that out for the year."

If reports are true that Apple is planning for a tablet to be able to download huge volumes of data including electronic-textbook data, then robust networks will be the order of the day. AT&T's network capacity, could be supplanted by its network of Wi-Fi solutions.