Given its status as the wireless carrier customers love to hate, I was a little surprised that AT&T's CEO, Randall Stephenson, told investors Tuesday that the Apple iPhone will remain an "important part" of its roster of phones for "quite some period of time."

Despite the non-stop rumors that the iPhone could be landing at Verizon sometime this year (wishful thinking, I suppose), Stephenson's words probably mean that AT&T's exclusive hold on the iPhone won't be broken any time soon.