NEW YORK (AP) – Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg says the company has told Apple that it wants to carry the iPhone. But he declined to say when – or even if – the popular smartphone will be available for Verizon Wireless customers.

In remarks Tuesday before the Council on Foreign Relations, Seidenberg cited a recent Wall Street Journal report that said Apple is working on a version of the iPhone that would be compatible with Verizon's network.

But he did not confirm the report or give any further details Tuesday.

AT&T Inc. has exclusive rights to the iPhone in the United States. The company has been silent about the reports on the new iPhone model.

Apple is expected to announce details on a new iPhone operating system (iPhone OS 4) Thursday.

An upgrade to Apple’s iPhone OS has a large order to fill. Consumers, as well as those in the gadget community, have been calling for a host of improvements to the iPhone, as platforms like Android continue to add new features to their SDK.

A spring preview event is quickly becoming an Apple ritual. In March 2008, Apple took the wraps off of its iPhone SDK, and just last March, the company unveiled the iPhone OS 3.0. Actual launch of the software has run concurrent with Apple’s June or July release of new iPhone models.

– Wireless Week’s Andrew Berg contributed to this report