AT&T Readies Its Post-iPhone Strategy

AT&T’s agreement with Apple to be the exclusive distributor of the iPhone in the United States may be drawing to a close, but the nation’s second-largest wireless carrier has no plans to be left empty-handed when it ends.

On the opening day of the Consumer Electronics Show here, AT&T introduced a smartphone strategy with a strong emphasis on phones powered by Google’s Android software, signaling a move to ease the heavy reliance on Apple that has buoyed the company until now.

“We are committed to the leading edge on Android,” said Ralph de la Vega, the chief executive of mobility and consumer markets at AT&T, in an interview.

AT&T said it would sell a dozen Android smartphones in 2011, beginning with handsets made by HTC, Samsung and Motorola specifically for the carrier.

By comparison, last year, AT&T announced plans for just a handful of non-Apple smartphones.

Mr. de la Vega acknowledged that AT&T had historically been slower to adopt Android devices, but said the newfound interest in the phones was not symptomatic of cooling relations between AT&T and Apple. Instead, he said, AT&T was exploring partnerships with all kinds of handset manufacturers in order to remain competitive for the coming year.

“It’s not just Android. It’s what the phones can do that represents a new paradigm for consumers,” he said.

In addition, he said the company would accelerate the rollout of its 4G wireless network and had plans to complete the switching on of the service by the end of 2013. The rival carriers Sprint and Verizon Wireless have already begun to prepare advanced offerings on next-generation networks.