Apple and Verizon offer businesses easy upgrade to iPhone 12 5G

iPhone 12
(Image credit: TechRadar)

US operator Verizon has partnered with Apple on a new programme that allows business customers to upgrade their entire smartphone fleet to an iPhone 12 for little or no cost.

The ‘5G Fleet Swap’ offer is available to any organisation – even if they are not a Verizon customer – with the carrier hoping to drive subscriptions for its 5G service by making Apple’s latest device available with minimal up front expense.

Although several 5G handsets have been released onto the market to date, demand in Europe and north America had been stifled by the absence of a compatible iPhone. Now the iPhone 12 has arrived, operators are hoping to reap the rewards of investment in their networks.

Apple Verizon 5G

5G networks promise enhanced speeds, greater capacity, and ultra-low latency. Inevitably the focus has been on enhanced consumer services, but 5G is set to transform business connectivity and enable brand new use cases.

Next-generation networks will use a variety of spectrum, each of which offers a varying balance of coverage and capacity. Verizon’s ‘Ultra Wideband’ 5G service powered by the same millimetre wave spectrum used to enable its 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) service.

These frequencies offer great capacity over short distances – making them ideal for data intensive applications that require low latency. Verizon says businesses will be able to build new services and apps that include AI, Augmented Reality (AR) and powerful imaging capabilities.

“No matter where you are on your digital transformation journey, the ability to put the power of 5G Ultra Wideband in all of your employees’ hands right now with a powerful iPhone 12 model, the best smartphone for business, is not just an investment for growth, it’s what will set a business’s future trajectory as technology continues to advance,” said said Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business.

Meanwhile, Apple benefits from increased sales of its flagship handset and acquires more users for its ecosystem, driving sales of services.

“The iPhone 12 lineup is the best for business, with an all-new design, advanced 5G experience, industry-leading security and A14 Bionic, the fastest chip ever in a smartphone,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Markets, Apps and Services. “Paired with Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband going indoors and 5G Fleet Swap, an all-new device offer for enterprise, it’s now easier than ever for businesses to build transformational mobile apps that take advantage of the powerful iPhone 12 lineup and 5G.”

Steve McCaskill is TechRadar Pro's resident mobile industry expert, covering all aspects of the UK and global news, from operators to service providers and everything in between. He is a former editor of Silicon UK and journalist with over a decade's experience in the technology industry, writing about technology, in particular, telecoms, mobile and sports tech, sports, video games and media.