iPhone 5s US Regional Carrier Availability Rumored for October 1

It’s rumored that the next big wave of iPhone 5s launches is coming next week on October 1. According to MacRumors, nine regional carriers in the US are said to be a launching the iPhone 5s on October 1. These carriers include Appalachian Wireless, Bluegrass Cellular, C Spire, Cellcom, GCI, MTA, Nex-Tech Wireless, Ntelos and Strata.

More regional carriers are expected to join in on the October 1 launch date, but they haven’t yet announced it yet. Sadly, US Cellular is left out of this initial list and we have yet to hear when they’ll be seeing availability for the new phone, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it came on October 1 alongside the rest of the pack.

Some of the regional carriers won’t support the iPhone 5s’s LTE right off the bat, including MTA, Nex-Tech and the more-popular Straight Talk. Several other regional carriers have announced that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are “coming soon,” but we have yet to hear an exact date yet. However, October 1 could be the time when the new devices will finally release to the smaller carriers.

The four major US carriers started selling the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c right on release day late last week, allowing millions of mobile subscribers to get the new phone as early as possible. However, those currently on smaller carriers are having to wait in order to get the latest and greatest piece of technology from Apple.

Apple currently has a list of carriers that the iPhone has supported, and in the past, the company has slowly and gradually rolled out its iPhone to more and more carriers after the initial launch. So, if you see your carrier on the list, but it’s not offering the new iPhones yet, you’ll have to be patient, as Apple usually waits to release its newer model on smaller carriers and in other countries.

The iPhone 5s is Apple’s latest flagship device, while the iPhone 5c is the company’s new entry-level phone that replaces the iPhone 5 from last year. Both phones come with new features and design elements, with the iPhone 5s sporting an all-new fingerprint sensor and the iPhone 5c carrying colorful plastic rear shells that look to cater towards those looking for a cheaper device, as well as a little bit of color to their everyday lives.