Going by the findings of a recent survey by the Rockville, Md.-based market research firm ChangeWave, Verizon subscribers are anxiously waiting for an iPhone version for the carrier; with nearly 50 percent of the survey respondents only to eager to switch to the popular Apple handset.

Noting that there apparently is “an unprecedented level of pent-up demand for the iPhone among Verizon subscribers,” ChangeWave said that most of the survey respondents opine that if the iPhone is opened to other carriers, thereby ending the AT&T exclusivity, Verizon will be the leading US carrier to gain the maximum from such a move by Apple.

The ChangeWave survey, which polled over 4,000 consumers, found that of the existing Verizon subscribers, nearly 19 percent said that they were “very likely” to buy the Verizon version of the iPhone, if launched; while 34 percent responded that they were “somewhat likely” to go in for a Verizon iPhone.

With the “very likely” and “somewhat likely” responses by Verizon subscribers being notably higher than those from either Sprint or T-Mobile subscribers, ChangeWave said in its report: “If Verizon were ever to offer the iPhone, the evidence points to it having a profound and likely transformative impact on the industry.”

Meanwhile, surprisingly, only about 8 percent of AT&T subscribers showed their willingness to switch carriers, vis-à-vis 10 percent and 14 percent respectively of Sprint and T-Mobile subscribers.