It’s Official: The iPhone Is Coming to Verizon

After more than four years, AT&T’s exclusivity on iPhone in the U.S. is set to come to an end on Tuesday, with Verizon expected to announce the launch of the device on its network at an event in New York City.

The move has been a long time coming; rumors of a Verizon iPhone have intensified significantly in the past year, while frustration with AT&T’s network reliability has continued to mount. At the same time, rival carriers have launched dozens of Android devices, which are now outselling the iPhone in aggregate.

All of that sets the stage for an interesting shakeup in the dynamics of the smartphone market. Although not necessarily indicative of broader consumer perferences, 30% of Mashable readers indicate they’re eager to switch to Verizon — even if it means paying a high early termination fee — to get the iPhone on the carrier’s network.

Meanwhile, the real battle might be over which carrier can introduce an iPhone on its next generation 4G network first. Forrester Research wireless analyst Charles Golvin writes, “LTE is the future 4G technology path for both Verizon and AT&T … If Verizon can convince Apple to accelerate its incorporation of LTE, the carrier will be able to deliver a significantly accelerated iPhone experience to more customers than its competitor, and attract a significant number of the first wave of buyers, including the Apple acolytes.”

We’re not expecting Verizon to delve into future devices during today’s press event, but rather simply announce that the current generation iPhone will be available on its network. The event is expected to kick off at 11 a.m. ET — stay tuned to our live notes below (all times ET) and to Mashable for more details about the Verizon iPhone’s pricing and availability.