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It transpires that Verizon were the first American network to be offered an exclusive deal by Apple for their iPhone.  Cingular snapped up the chance when Verizon sent Apple packing.

So why on earth would Verizon turn down the chance to ‘own’ one of the most revolutionary phones ever?  Well it was Apple’s proposed business model, which insisted on sharing call revenue as well as controlling distribution channels and customer service.  In that light, not surprising that such a major network had reservations in relinquishing control of so much - including revenue.  Presumably Cingular saw a bigger picture and agreed to the terms.

Cingular claims it signed the deal with Apple over two years ago, while the iPhone was still a dream (or a couple of sketches).

In the meantime, the only GSM operator in Canada has signed up to be the distributor, Roger Wireless.  As the iPhone relies on GSM, I am sure the deal Roger Wireless signed up to was somewhat more lax than the Cingular deal.