Best Buy claims iPhone on its way to Canada

In a posting to its web site, the leading US and Canadian specialty electronics retailer claims that "iPhone will be coming to Canada" and promises to keep customers updated on Canadian iPhone developments as they're announced.

"It's beautiful, it's powerful and it's been all over the news; the question on the minds of Canadians from coast to coast is 'when can we get our hands on the iPhone?,'" wrote Best Buy. "The iPhone will be coming to Canada; we want you to be the first to know."

The retailer allows shoppers to sign up to its weekly newsletter with an option to be updated "on all Canadian iPhone Elements."

Still, it's unclear whether Best Buy will play a role in the Canadian iPhone launch or if its website posting is merely an attempt to capitalize on the buzz generated by the Apple device thus far.

For its part, Apple has not yet said with which wireless carriers it plans to partner on iPhone outside of the US. However, Rogers Wireless, Canada's largest provider and the only regional carrier with an iPhone-compatible GSM network, has long been perceived as the frontrunner.

In fact, Rogers in January issued a customer advisory notice declaring that it had sealed a deal with Apple to become the exclusive carrier for iPhone in Canada.

The advisory, which was later contradicted by a company spokesperson, claimed that while availability and pricing were still being sorted out, Rogers would be the only national wireless carrier to offer the Apple handset.