Verizon Touts Its Smartphones Against iPhone BuzzVerizon Touts Its Smartphones Against iPhone Buzz

Not to be completely left behind as Apple's Steve Jobs unveiled the latest versions of the iPhone, Verizon Wireless has made some announcements of its own to remind the mobile wireless world that it, too, is in the smartphone business.

While the legions of pundits and soothsayers who have been predicting the imminent debut of an iPhone on the Verizon Wireless network were disappointed, Verizon released a new video promoting its "extensive smartphone line-up" just hours before the Apple announcement. Verizon stressed the "variety of smartphones and operating systems" in its video demo, which, of course, is in direct contrast to Apple's monolithic iPhone design. "When it comes to wireless phones, one doesn't fit all," Verizon Wireless observed in its announcement.

Verizon Wireless, which is 55%-owned by Verizon Communications and 45% by Vodafone Group, also reported Monday that it had gained the top customer satisfaction spot in a J. D. Power and Associates survey of small and medium-sized businesses.

The U.S. Business Wireless Satisfaction Study found that home-based business customers said Verizon performed "particularly well in performance and reliability and offerings and promotions."

Even so, the question persists: "Where is Verizon's iPhone?"

One simple answer is that it may take longer to tailor an iPhone for Verizon's tricky CDMA spectrum. Google also didn't offer its NexusOne for Sprint's or Verizon's CDMA networks, but it does for GSM-based networks. The next generation of Long-Term Evolution networks will reportedly be able to accommodate spectrum varieties better than today's wireless networks.

It's also becoming clear that Apple may need Verizon as much as Verizon needs an Apple iPhone. Users love their iPhones, but they are increasingly frustrated by the rash of dropped calls due to the overcrowded AT&T wireless network. Many believe the iPhone is likely to perform better on Verizon's network than it does on AT&T's.

That leaves Verizon's pending LTE robust network as the most likely candidate for an iPhone this year -- or for a new surge of pundit and soothsayer predictions.