According to unsubstantiated reports, AT&T’s iPhone exclusivity will likely come to an end early next year, with Verizon Wireless to begin selling the popular Apple handset.

Though USA TODAY could not independently verify the information, which was forwarded by unnamed ‘inside’ sources in the know of the proceedings, it nonetheless reported that the Verizon iPhone will become available in January 2011.

For quite some time, the tech blogosphere has been extensively discussing the possibility and timeline of a Verizon iPhone – a device that will mark the culmination of Apple’s exclusivity deal with AT&T in the US for the iPhone, ever since the device’s 2007 launch.

In the opinion of UBS analyst John Hodulik, a Verizon iPhone will give the carrier a notable boost in terms of the smartphone competition it offers to the rival carriers.

Noting that Verizon customers - touching 92.8 million at the end of the first quarter - may end up buying nearly 3 million iPhones a quarter, Hodulik said: “Apple is going to dramatically increase the number of devices it sells in the US when exclusivity at AT&T ends.”

Further adding that “It’s hard to ignore the quality issues that AT&T has faced,” Hodulik hinted at widespread network-related complaints that AT&T has had to battle over the years – a reason why the carrier has dedicated an extra $2 billion for upgrading its network this year.