Trading The Verizon iPhone (VZ, AAPL, GOOG, CCI, CBS, VIAB, AMT, SBAC)

The Apple AAPL iPhone has a message for AT&T T: we need to see other carriers. This was probably the worst kept secret I can remember in terms of recent technology releases. With so much fanfare and excitement over the announcement, traders and investors need to know how to profit off of this, since every announcement provides an opportunity to make some serious money. The obvious beneficiary is Apple, as it has more channels to sell its iconic device, but there are additional ways to play it, both long and short. One of the names that's been identified as a potential short is Google GOOG, as Verizon customers will now have a choice between Droid and the iPhone. There will likely be some movement from Android users to the iPhone, as it's a new product and it's the first time Verizon has it. The research house Kaufman Bros. believes that Android will be hit harder than many expect, as Verizon blasts the airwaves to promote the iPhone, even at the expense of the Android. A few ideas to consider off of the advertising promotion of the iPhone are the major advertising names, like CBS CBS and Viacom VIA, which should win no matter which platform wins. AT&T T is likely to boost its advertising as well as it competes with Verizon to promote its brand. It's a win-win for the advertisers, no matter which network is ultimately proven the best. Verizon is not a trade here, as the 40% run in the past few months in shares show that the move was anticipated by the markets. Additionally, the subsidies that Verizon will have to dole out to iPhone users to come over could harm the bottom line. The data/voice plan that Verizon will tack on to the iPhone is not known, as many had expected that Verizon would announce an unlimited data plan yesterday, for $30 per month, despite AT&T moving to tiered pricing because the iPhone is a bandwith hog. As more and more data is consumed, the cell phone towers work harder, and this increases pricing power for the companies that own them. The plays off the bandwith shortage are the tower stocks, like Crown Castle CCI, American Tower AMT and SBA Communications Corporation SBAC. Crown Castle is really worth a look, as it trades at a discount to American Tower at nearly every metric, and it's more levered to the Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G network that Verizon is rolling out over the country.