February 10 is the date to watch out for, as Verizon told the country recently at a press conference in New York City. It is on this date that the company announced that it would start selling Apple’s popular touchscreen smartphone, the iPhone.

The announcement was made at Lincoln Center by Verizon COO Lowell McAdam and Apple COO Tim Cook and was met with much enthusiasm and discussion. This plan will formally break the monopoly on iPhone service currently held by telecommunications giant AT&T.

Verizon customers will be offered the opportunity to purchase a new Verizon iPhone through pre-order on February 3, a full 7 days before the phone goes on sale to the general public. Verizon plans to offer several advantages over iPhone models and service currently offered by AT&T. For example, Verizon iPhones will be able to connect with up to 5 Wi-Fi devices, turning them into personal Wi-Fi “hotspots.”

They will also connect to the CDMA network instead of GSM, which many analysts suggest could lead to more network stability. Many current iPhone users sincerely hope that Verizon’s wireless service is up to the task of providing an enhanced alternative to their current service plans.

Often considered one of the most innovative and beautiful mobile phones on the market, the Apple iPhone is a wonderful mobile device with a responsive touchscreen, excellent screen resolution, the ability to take photos and videos, and an expanding collection. of applications that allows users to make their phones perform a wide range of tasks. The enthusiasm to open up this much-loved device to new service providers is quite palpable, and Apple aficionados are so far embracing this move as a positive step.

Verizon plans to offer a 16 gigabyte model for $199.99 with the purchase of a two-year contract and a 32 gigabyte model for $299.99 with the same contract. Unfortunately, Verizon and Apple can’t yet provide access to 4G capabilities, but many are cautiously optimistic that Verizon will still be able to give AT&T a fair run for its money by providing alternative services and selection. And industry insiders suggest that a Verizon iPhone 4G plan could be available as soon as this summer.

In response to this new competition, AT&T has already slashed prices on its older-generation iPhone models and plans to take on Verizon with aggressive marketing strategies. Rumors are running rampant about what forms this competition will take, with many hoping Verizon will offer unlimited data plans as an incentive to choose its iPhones over those offered by AT&T.

What is certain is that the new competitive environment will be of great help to consumers, since both companies will have incentives to provide better levels of service and support at reasonable prices. In the end, the community of iPhone enthusiasts will be the real winners of this collaboration.

Check out our author chart below for Verizon iPhone deals and other exciting news about what Verizon has to offer its customers.