In a galaxy far far away, At&t’s iron-clad grasp on the iPhone in the United States will end.  According to the latest At&t conference call this week, that galaxy might be our own and that time could be a lot sooner than expected if At&t CEO Ralph De La Vega is to be believed.  De La Vega was reported to have said that At&t has a “legacy of having a great portfolio… that will continue after the iPhone is no longer exclusive to us,” and he thinks At&t’s ability to drive results “will continue after the iPhone”.  Of course knowing that this was a financial call he did open the possibility that At&t might never relinquish their grasp on the iPhone when he said, “even if we lose exclusivity”.  De La Vega also praised the iPhone by saying, “other will try to emulate them [Apple], but that device is by far the best in terms of ease of use”.  It is only matter of time before At&t and Apple announce the terms and conditions of their next contract since exclusivity ends in 2010.

[Via]