Posted: 09:40 AM ET



Apple plans to release a new iPhone this year that could operate using Verizon, Sprint and some smaller carriers, according to a Wall Street Journal report Tuesday.

The move, if it happens, would be a big shift from the current iPhone, which only works in the U.S. with AT&T - a sore point for some users.

The paper cited "people briefed by the company." Spokespeople for Apple, Verizon and Vodaphone Group, an international carrier, refused to comment, according to the Journal.

An AT&T spokesman said there has been lots of incorrect speculation about an iPhone that runs CDMA, a wireless network used by Verizon, Sprint and others.

"We haven't seen one yet and only Apple knows when that might occur," the spokesman told the paper.

Apple did not immediately return a message from CNN.com Tuesday seeking comment.

Apple has had an exclusive relationship with AT&T in the United States since 2007.

The unnamed sources also told the Journal what's considered an open secret in tech circles - that Apple will separately release a new version of its current iPhone this summer. The new phone will be thinner and have a faster processor, two souces reportedly told the Journal.

Speculation that Apple would expand the iPhone to other wireless carriers has abounded for months. Many reports, citing Apple sources, have said such a move was coming.

But the Journal report sent Apple stock soaring Tuesday morning. The stock, which already closed at a record $232.39, jumped as much as 6.41 points (2.75 percent) in after-hours trading.

One source said the non-AT&T iPhones will begin production in September, while others said the schedule is still up in the air.

Posted by: Doug Gross -- CNN.com producer

Filed under: iPhone  smartphones