AT&T Inc said on Thursday it has hired 2,000 temporary store workers to handle its much-hyped introduction of the iPhone, the first cell phone from iPod music player maker Apple Inc. The biggest US wireless service provider by customer numbers will be the country's only carrier to offer the device when it goes on sale June 29.
AT&T and Apple said they plan to start selling the device starting at 6 pm local time in cities across the country. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said the company hired the extra summer staff for its 1,800 stores in anticipation of "significant demand" for the device. AT&T's wireless division employs a total of about 58,000 people. The iPhone was first announced in January and combines a music and video player with a Web browser and a touch-sensitive screen in place of a keyboard.