Verizon iPhone Rumor Won't Die

Gasp, another Verizon iPhone rumor surfaced this week.

Two hiring firms are posting jobs for thousands of customer service reps for a "major wireless cell phone service retailer," across the United States, according to CNET and others.

Could the increase in staffing be in preparation for a January release of the Verizon iPhone? Maybe.

A few additional "help wanted" ads give a clue.

Apple Insider points out a few new positions will offer technical support for "personal computers and portable devices like MP3 players and smartphones."

The iPhone certainly fits the bill.

In addition, the hiring companies have ties to Verizon and one works with Apple.

A source told the Augusta Chronicle that a call center in Georgia will double its number of employees by the end of November. The source also said that Teleperformace has ties "all major cell phone providers," but wouldn't reveal which carrier the new hires will serve.

The Verizon iPhone rumor came back with a vengeance earlier this month when "people familiar with the matter" told the Wall Street Journal that Apple plans to start mass producing a special iPhone for Verizon by the end of 2010. The device would reportedly be available in the first quarter of 2011.

If a special iPhone lands on Verizon's shelves, it stands to reason the carrier would need support staff to help anxious customers with billing questions and so forth, but it might be a bit of a stretch to say this is a smoking gun.

Regardless, it's nice to see that thousands of people can get customer support jobs that pay $10 an hour in this bum economy.

How's that for a stimulus package, United States? Maybe that's why President Obama met with Steve Jobs this week.