U.S. Regional Carriers Announcing October 1 Launch Date for iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c [Update: Canada Too]

While Apple has yet to announce a schedule or country list for its second major round of iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launches, the company does appear to be coordinating a minor expansion of availability for Tuesday, October 1, with a number of smaller regional U.S. carriers announcing plans to launch the devices on that date.

iphone_5s_october_1
Carriers involved in the October 1 launch include:

- Appalachian Wireless
- Bluegrass Cellular
- C Spire
- Cellcom
- GCI
- MTA
- Nex-Tech Wireless
- Ntelos
- Strata

Several other regional carriers have announced that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are "coming soon" and some of those carriers may also be participating in the October 1 rollout, but they have not announced their exact launch dates yet.

Apple has gradually expanded availability of the iPhone on regional carriers throughout the United States in recent years, with over 25 U.S. carriers now offering the device.

Update: Canadian regional carriers also appear to be participating in the October 1 launch, with MTS announcing its launch a short time ago. SaskTel lists the new iPhones as "coming soon", but representatives have so far only said on Twitter and Facebook that the carrier is still working out launch details.

Update 2: SaskTel has now officially announced that it too will begin selling the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c on October 1.

Update 3: Alaska Communications has also announced that it will begin selling the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c beginning on October 1.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices from credible sources. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages

Sunday June 22, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple has long been working towards an iPhone with an all-screen design, and it might finally achieve the feat in a few more years from now. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on new iPhone models released next year. A year after that, he expects Apple to release a redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone model....
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed

Sunday June 22, 2025 6:37 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system. Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...

Top Rated Comments

szw-mapple fan Avatar
153 months ago
Don't count on getting any iphones. They are non-existent. Apple produced very few around the world and is now taking your money for a phone that may come out in November. This sucks and Apple sucks.:mad:

So... very few=9 million in your mind?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darkslide29 Avatar
153 months ago
I received an iMassage this morning from the Apple Store informing me that my iPhone 5s is scheduled for delivery later today. I guess I'm lucky.
:rolleyes:

Lucky you. It sounds like you get a happy ending. ;)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrisbru Avatar
153 months ago
Don't count on getting any iphones. They are non-existent. Apple produced very few around the world and is now taking your money for a phone that may come out in November. This sucks and Apple sucks.:mad:


That's weird, I'm using one right now that I purchased by walking into a Best Buy 20 minutes after it opened. And my friends that ordered on the 20th that were quoted October shipping dates received theirs yesterday.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PeterQVenkman Avatar
153 months ago
Can't tell if your sarcastic but not the case at all. My Apple store in St Louis, MO got over 2000 iPhone's at launch then the following Monday they got another shipment and the employee who was selling me my wife's 5s said the shipment was pretty close to the launch shipment. He said there was a line all day (I got there at 4pm) and they still had them in stock.

3 people in my office have their iPhone 5s already.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
everything-i Avatar
153 months ago
Don't count on getting any iphones. They are non-existent. Apple produced very few around the world and is now taking your money for a phone that may come out in November. This sucks and Apple sucks.:mad:

Right 9 million sold in 3 days, a very small number. :rolleyes:
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dvoros Avatar
153 months ago
iphone launch

Don't count on getting any iphones. They are non-existent. Apple produced very few around the world and is now taking your money for a phone that may come out in November. This sucks and Apple sucks.:mad:
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)