Edit: This has been declared as not true and not happening.
Talk about big moves. This is bound to ruffle the feathers of pretty much every carrier. Not only does Cingular have the iPhone exclusive, rumor has it that the “largest wireless carrier in the US” will provide FREE service to users who jump ship from their current carriers and join the iPhone lovefest.

Now all of this is speculation, unoffical and according to Jim “Mad Money” Cramer, but the word is that the free phone service would be provided for 18 months after the switch. There’s no say on if existing Cingular customers will get this unprecented benefit.

This really doesn’t seem possible, because if I’ve been following correctly Cingular is already eating a good bulk of the phones cost. This move is said to be aimed primarily towards Verizon, but of other carriers would feel the sting of this as well. That is of course, if it’s true.