Is T-Mobile Apple's second US iPhone partner?

Apple is expected to dump its exclusive iPhone deal with AT&T next year. Speculation is the firm will ink a second US distro deal with Verizon - but now fresh speculation has emerged suggesting it will be T-Mobile, rather than Verizon, that emerges as Apple’s second US iPhone carrier.

This news emerges as the battle between Verizon and AT&T grows uglier as the former network puts its weight behind the Motorola Droid phone, which is alleged to have sold 800,000 units since launch.

Verizon originally rejected Apple's exclusivity offer three years ago over control issues. The company has also forged a rival partnership with Google to counter the iPhone offensive.

The Street tells us AT&T will lose its exclusive status in 2010 and repeats claims by Thomas Weisel analyst Doug Reid who says, "Apple wants to move away from exclusivity; T-Mobile would achieve this for Apple in the U.S.”

However, T-Mobile has only half as many users as Verizon with its 71 million customers. Reid doesn’t think Verizon will win an iPhone distribution deal, saying it is far more likely the firm will make a deal to sell other Apple devices like the elusive Apple Tablet or a future iPhone version running on long term evolution or LTE, 4G wireless technology.

"We expect Verizon to offer only 4G Apple handsets in 2011," the analyst said.

Apple has reportedly already begun testing an LTE-based iPhone, with some claims it has been testing the device on the Verizon network.

These plans face some hurdles - not least the lack of LTE chips for mobile phones - no one is making them yet and phones fielding the new tech aren’t expected to make mass appearance until 2011.

It is possible Apple has a plan to get ahead of the pack - Qualcomm last month slipped news that it is in talks with Apple “for interest in future cooperation,” as reported by Digitimes.

That report also said Qualcomm was worried for its future as the world’s leading smartphone doesn’t use its 3G chips.

In November, two reports said that a Qualcomm-.powered iPhone was in the works. One report suggested the device would use a new hybrid chip, to allow compatibility with both AT&T and Verizon networks in the U.S. Another analyst said that he had heard the deal between Apple and Qualcomm is in the works, a dual mode iPhone would be impossible to release in 2010 and if there was one, it would arrive in 2011 at the earliest.