The Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone came to Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and told AT&T (NYSE: T) it wanted to see other carriers.
This was probably the worst kept secret as far back as I can remember, in terms of technology. With so much fanfare and excitement over the announcement, traders and investors need to know how to profit off this, since with every announcement comes an opportunity to make some serious money.
The obvious beneficiary is Apple, as it has more channels to sell its iconic device, but there are additional ways to play it, both long and short.
One of the names that's been seen as a potential short is Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), as Verizon customers will now have a choice between Droid and the iPhone. I would think that there will be some movement from Android users to the iPhone, as it's a new product, and it's the first time Verizon has it.
Kaufman believes that Android will be hit harder than many expect, as Verizon blasts the airwaves to promote the iPhone, even at the expense of the Android. A few ideas to consider off the advertising promotion of the iPhone are the major advertising names, like CBS and Viacom, which should win no matter what platform wins. AT&T is likely to boost its advertising as well, as it competes with Verizon to promote its brand. It's a win-win for the advertisers, no matter which network ultimately is proven the best.
Verizon is not a trade here, as the 40% run in the past few months in shares show that the move was anticipated by the markets, and with the subsidies that Verizon will have to dole out to iPhone users to come over.
The data/voice plan that Verizon will tack on to the iPhone is not known, as many had expected that Verizon would announce an unlimited data plan yesterday, for $30 per month, despite AT&T moving to tiered pricing because the iPhone is a bandwith hog. As more and more data is consumed, the cell phone towers work harder, and this increases pricing power for the companies that own them.
The plays off the bandwith shortage are the tower stocks, like Crown Castle, American Tower and SBA Communications Corporation. Crown Castle is really worth a look, as it trades at a discount to American Tower at nearly every metric, and is more levered to the Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G network that Verizon is rolling out over the country.
Disclosure: no positions in names mentioned.
